Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe
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Location:
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Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico
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Geographic coordinates:
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16 15 N, 61 35 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 1,780 sq km
land: 1,706 sq km
water: 74 sq km
note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin)
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Area - comparative:
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10 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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total: 10.2 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km
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Coastline:
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306 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity
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Terrain:
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Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m
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Natural resources:
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cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism
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Land use:
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arable land: 11.24%
permanent crops: 3.55%
other: 85.21% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Geography - note:
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a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre
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Population:
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444,515 (July 2004 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 24.4% (male 55,386; female 52,977)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 146,772; female 149,314)
65 years and over: 9% (male 16,730; female 23,336) (2004 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 31.4 years
male: 30.6 years
female: 32.3 years (2004 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.96% (2004 est.)
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Birth rate:
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15.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 8.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.71 years
male: 74.56 years
female: 81.03 years (2004 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe
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Ethnic groups:
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black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1%
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Languages:
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French (official) 99%, Creole patois
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 90%
female: 90% (1982 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
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Dependency status:
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overseas department of France
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Government type:
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NA
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Capital:
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Basse-Terre
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Administrative divisions:
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none (overseas department of France)
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Independence:
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none (overseas department of France)
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National holiday:
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Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
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Constitution:
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28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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Legal system:
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French legal system
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Paul GIROT DE LANGLADE (since 17 August 2004)
head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004)
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
election results: NA
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS 1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 1
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
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Political parties and leaders:
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Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Marlene MELISSE and Favrot DAVRAIN]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Robert JOYEUX]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement
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International organization participation:
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WCL, WFTU
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas department of France)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas department of France)
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Flag description:
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the flag of France is used
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Economy - overview:
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The Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $3.513 billion (2003 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 15%
industry: 17%
services: 68% (1997 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA (2003 est.)
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Labor force:
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125,900 (1997)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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NA
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Unemployment rate:
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27.8% (1998)
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Budget:
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revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats
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Industries:
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construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA
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Electricity - production:
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1.155 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.074 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Exports:
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$140 million f.o.b. (1997)
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas, sugar, rum
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Exports - partners:
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France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999)
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Imports:
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$1.7 billion c.i.f. (1997)
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials
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Imports - partners:
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France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1999)
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Debt - external:
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NA (yearend 2003 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (1995)
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Currency:
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euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
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Currency code:
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EUR; FRF
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Exchange rates:
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euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 27 January, 2005
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