Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) | Martinique (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 22.1% (male 48,988/female 47,525)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 147,082/female 146,470) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 20,791/female 25,275) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane |
Airports | none | 2 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
Area | total:
0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1,100 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km water: 40 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Popes in their secular role ruled much of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Vatican and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. | The French began to settle this island in 1635, overcoming resistance from the local Carib inhabitants. In 1660, the suviving natives were rounded up and permanently expelled. The island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. |
Birth rate | - | 13.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$209.6 million expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $317.5 million
expenditures: $317.5 million; including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996) |
Capital | Vatican City | name: Fort-de-France
geographic coordinates: 14 36 N, 61 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) | tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 350 km |
Constitution | Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form:
The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano) |
conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique local long form: Departement de la Martinique local short form: Martinique |
Currency | Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR) | - |
Death rate | - | 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $180 million (1994) |
Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 5758346 |
none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 |
none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | none | $NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998) |
Economy - overview | This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. | The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from France. Tourism, which employs more than 11,000 people, has become more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 1.12 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.205 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification |
- |
Ethnic groups | Italians, Swiss, other | African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian and Chinese less than 5% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000), 1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.17 lire per euro | euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Yves DASSONVILLE (since 14 January 2004); note - took office 8 February 2004
head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE (since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils for six-year terms |
Exports | - | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | - | refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples |
Exports - partners | - | France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band | unofficial flag, derives from the civil ensign flown by French merchant ships and dates to 1766; a blue field quartered by a white cross; in the center of each rectangle is a white, coiled snake representing the venomous Fer-de-lance; the flag of France is used for official occasions |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 6%
industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 41 54 N, 12 27 E | 14 40 N, 61 00 W |
Geography - note | urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights | 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 |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | none; all city streets | - |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe |
Imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | - | petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods |
Imports - partners | - | France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2004) |
Independence | 11 February 1929 (from Italy) | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities | construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA |
International organization participation | CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer) | UPU, WCL, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 93 (Holy See and Italy) (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1993) | 70 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | none; normally handled by Italy | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | NA | 165,900 (1998) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican | agriculture: 10%
industry: 17% services: 73% (1997) |
Land boundaries | total:
3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (urban area) |
arable land: 9.09%
permanent crops: 10% other: 80.91% (2005) |
Languages | Italian, Latin, French, various other languages | French, Creole patois |
Legal system | NA | French legal system |
Legislative branch | unicameral Pontifical Commission | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held March 2000 (next to be held in 2006); Regional Council - last held on 28 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9, other 4 note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 1, left-wing candidate 1; Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PMS 1, MIM 1, left-wing candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called) |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 79.18 years
male: 79.5 years female: 78.85 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.7% male: 97.4% female: 98.1% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Gendarmerie |
National holiday | Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun:
none adjective: none |
noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais |
Natural hazards | NA | hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years) |
Natural resources | none | coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land |
Net migration rate | - | -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT]; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM [Pierre SUEDILE]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest WAN-AJOUHU]; Movement of Democrats and Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique or Modemas [Garcin MALSA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Jean MAREN] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) | Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP |
Population | 890 (July 2001 est.) | 436,131 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.15% (2001 est.) | 0.72% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | NA | - |
Railways | total:
862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station standard gauge: 862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999) |
- |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | limited to cardinals less than 80 years old | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
automatic exchange domestic: tied into Italian system international: uses Italian system |
general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 172,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 319,900 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1996) | 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | low hill | mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 27.2% (1998) |
Waterways | none | - |