It is an island, an overseas department, and a single territory of France. A part of the French Republic, the island country is situated in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It has a land mass of 1,128 square kilometers and a population of over 364,508 people. One of the Windward Islands, the island is bordered in the north by Saint Lucia, northwest by Barbados, and south by Dominica. The nation is also an Outermost Region (OMR) of the EU and a special territory of the European Union. As with French Guiana, it is a special collectivity of the French Republic. The residents of the territory are French citizens with full legal rights. It sends four deputies to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate.
if you are interested in knowing about the diplomatic relations of this country, this article provides information on the foreign diplomatic relations of Martinique and other bilateral relations.
About the country
It has a GDP of 8.4 billion euros and an economy that is largely reliant on tourism and limited agricultural production sectors. It grants aid from mainland France. The country’s economy relies on agriculture, majorly the production of sugar and bananas, but this sector has reduced drastically. The production of sugar has declined, with a large amount of sugarcane used to produce rum. Banana exports continue to increase most of the exports are to mainland France. Fishing and agriculture activities were stopped in areas affected by a pest control chemical, having a significant effect on the economy. A large amount of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements are usually imported. This leads to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from mainland France. All goods entering the country are charged a sea toll which can be 30% of the value of the cargo. Exports of goods and services amounted to €1,102 million of which over 20% are refined petroleum products. Imports of goods and services were €3,038 million of which around 40% are crude and refined petroleum products. Tourism is more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange.
Body in charge of foreign affairs
France is responsible for handling foreign relations in the interests of the region. The function of the government of France is to foster and improve existing bilateral relations with other nations through trade agreements and partnerships.
Countries with diplomatic relations
The island has multilateral relations with the UK, the US, and a few countries in the region including Santa Lucia. It has a few diplomatic missions in top cities in several countries in the world such as Canada, China, the US, the UK, etc.
Bilateral relations of the country
The government of Martinique lets the government of France handle political and diplomatic dialogues in the Lesser and Greater Antilles, and the continent. it is a member of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and a part of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). By joining these organizations, the state has grown through its bilateral and multilateral relations within the framework of the institutions. The key factor that led to the making of bilateral and multilateral economic ties with lots of territories in the Caribbean and American region is the modernization of its transport network. The island nation has fostered strong relations with North America, the major reason why the continent is now home to a large number of Martinique diaspora working for better opportunities. With the increase in the bilateral relations between France and the US, there is hope for better cooperation and trade between the island and the latter here.
