Martinique ( Departement de la Martinique) is a country in Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago. Martinique geographic coordinates 14 40 N, 61 00 W; area 1,060 sq km; area comparative slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC; land boundaries 0 km; coastline 350 km; maritime claims exclusive economic zone:<; climate tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclon; terrain mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano; elevation extremes Montagne Pelee 1,397 m; natural resources coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land; land use 80.19% (2001); irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five yea; environment current issues NA; geography note the island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants;

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Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. government type NA; capital Fort-de-France; administrative divisions none (overseas department of France); independence none (overseas department of France); national holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); constitution 28 September 1958 (French Constitution); legal system French legal system; suffrage 18 years of age; universal;

people

Martinique population 432,900 (July 2005 est.); age structure 10.5% (male 20,423/female 24,887) (2005 est.); median age 34.28 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 0.76% (2005 est.); birth rate 14.14 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 6.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 78.64 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate NA%; hiv people with aids NA; hiv deaths NA; nationality Martiniquais; ethnic groups African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Chinese less than 5%; religions Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997); languages French, Creole patois; literacy 98.1% (2003 est.);

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