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List of
Banks in the Caribbean
List of Banks in Martinique (French)
Martinique is an island in the eastern
Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km2 (436 sq mi). Like
Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single
overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St
Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas
departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-six regions of France (being
an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. The Island was
discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502.
As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its
currency is the euro. Its official language is French, although many of
its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Martiniquais).
Martinique is pictured on all euro banknotes, on the reverse at the
bottom of each note, right of the Greek ΕΥΡΩ (EURO) next to the
denomination.
Banque Antilles Francaises
Address: ZI Petite Coctte
Phone: (596) 596 77-3838
Fax: (596) 596 77-1154
Banque des Antilles Francaises
Address: 28 - 34 Rue Lamartine, 97200 Fort de France
Phone: (596) 596 60-7272 / (596) 596 72-5590 / (596) 596 71-7568
Fax: (596) 596 60-7254 / (596) 596 71-5816
Banque Francaise Commerciale
Address: 6 Rue E. Deproge
Mailing Address: BP 896, 97200 Fort de France
Phone: (596) 596 63-8257 / (596) 596 42-5252
Fax: (596) 596 70-5115 / (596) 596 42-5252
Banque Nationale de Paris Martinique
Address: 72 Av. Caraibes
Phone: (596) 596 59-4600 / (596) 596 61-4226 / (596) 596 71-3288
Fax: (596) 596 61-3250 / (596) 596 63-5723
Banque Regionale Excompte et Depots
Address: Pl. Monseigneur Romero
Phone: (596) 596 60-8899 / (596) 596 60-8625
Fax: (596) 596 63-7721 / (596) 596 63-6667
BNP Martinique (Banque Nationale de Paris)
Address: Rue Homere Clement
Phone: (596) 596 54-7152
Fax: (596) 596 54-3519
Caisse dÉpargne
Address: Centr cial de Bellevue Voie 2 Av. Frantz Fanon
Phone: (596) 596 61-6205 / (596) 596 63-9159 / (596) 596 51-7128
Fax: (596) 596 61-8581 / (596) 596 70-5945
Casden Banque Populaire
Address: 10 Rue Toussaint Louverture
Phone: (596) 596 70-0618
Fax: (596) 596 70-4969
Credit Agricole
Address: Rue Victor Schoelcher
Phone: (596) 596 56-1142
Fax: (596) 596 56-3445
Credit Agricole Mutuel
Address: Rue Case Negres, Place d'Armes, 97232 Lamentin (Le
Phone: (596) 596 51-1866 / (596) 596 51-2688 / (596) 596 42-5424
Fax: (596) 596 57-0319 / (596) 596 51-3712
Credit Maritime
Address: 45 Rue Victor Hugo, 97200 Fort de France
Phone: (596) 596 73-0093
Fax: (596) 596 71-3910
Credit Martiniquais
Address: 54 Rue Homere Clement
Phone: (596) 596 54-7060
Fax: (596) 596 54-2187
Credit Martiniquais Forum Dillon
Address: Rue Liberte
Phone: (596) 596 59-9300 / (596) 596 59-9304 / (596) 596 59-9313
Fax: (596) 596 60-2930 / (596) 596 72-3270
Credit Mutuel Antilles - Guyane
Address: 8 Bis Av. Jean Jaures, Fort de France
Phone: (596) 596 59-7400 / (596) 596 63-5300
Fax: (596) 596 71-4958
Credit Social Fonctionnaire
Address: 36 bd Amilcar Cabral
Phone: (596) 596 73-4384
Fax: (596) 596 63-2401
SGBA (Societe Generale de Banque aux Antilles)
Address: 21 Rue Liberte
Phone: (596) 596 72-8282
Fax: (596) 596 73-8557
Sodema
Address: 12 Bd Gen. De Gaulle
Mailing Address: BP 575, 97242 Fort de France Cedex
Phone: (596) 596 72-8772 / (596) 596 72-8727 / (596) 596 72-8747
Fax: (596) 596 72-8770 / (596) 596 63-0595
Geography
Main article: Geography of Martinique
Map of MartiniqueLocation: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north
of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 14°40′N 61°00′W / 14.667°N 61°W / 14.667; -61
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 1,100 square kilometres (420 sq mi)
land: 1,060 square kilometres (410 sq mi)
water: 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi)
Area - comparative: slightly more than six times the size of Washington,
D.C.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Martinique
The inhabitants of Martinique are French citizens with full political
and legal rights. Martinique sends four deputies to the French National
Assembly and two senators to the French Senate.
History
Main article: History of Martinique
Subdivisions
Main article: Arrondissements of the Martinique department
Further information: Communes of the Martinique department and Cantons
of the Martinique department
Martinique is divided into four arrondissements, 34 communes, and 45
cantons.
Environment
Tropical forest near Fond St-Denis
Les Salines, wide sand beach at the western end of the islandThe north
of the island is mountainous and lushly salted. It features four
ensembles of pitons (volcanoes) and mornes (mountains): the Piton Conil
on the extreme North, which dominates the Dominica Channel; Mount Pelée,
an active volcano; the Morne Jacob; and the Pitons du Carbet, an
ensemble of five extinct volcanoes covered with rainforest and
dominating the Bay of Fort de France at 1,196 metres (3,924 ft).
The highest of the island's many mountains, at 1,397 metres (4,583 ft),
is the famous volcano Mount Pelée. Its volcanic ash has created gray and
black sand beaches in the north (in particular between Anse Ceron and
Anse des Gallets), contrasting markedly from the white sands of Les
Salines in the south.
The south is more easily traversed, though it still features some
impressive geographic features. Because it is easier to travel and
because of the many beaches and food facilities throughout this region,
the south receives the bulk of the tourist traffic. The beaches from
Pointe de Bout, through Diamant (which features right off the coast of
Roche de Diamant), St. Luce, the continent of St. Anne and down to Les
Salines are popular.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Martinique
See also: Music of Martinique and Guadeloupe
Martinique dancers in traditional costume.As an overseas département of
France, Martinique's culture blends French and Caribbean influences. The
city of Saint-Pierre (destroyed by a volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée),
was often referred to as the "Paris of the Lesser Antilles". Following
traditional French custom, many businesses close at midday to allow a
lengthy lunch, then reopen later in the afternoon. The official language
is French.
Many Martinicans speak Martiniquan Creole, a subdivision of Antillean
Creole that is virtually identical to the varieties spoken in
neighboring English-speaking islands of Saint Lucia and Dominica.
Martinique's Creole is based on French and African languages with
elements of English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It continues to be used in
oral storytelling traditions and other forms of speech and to a lesser
extent in writing. Its use is predominant among friends and close family.
Though it is normally not used in professional situations, members of
the media and politicians have begun to use it more frequently as a way
to redeem national identity and prevent cultural assimilation by
mainland France. For the most part, the local Creole is intelligible to
speakers of Standard French, as it has lost some of its distinct
dialectal qualities.
Most of Martinique's population is descended from enslaved Africans
brought to work on sugar plantations during the colonial era, generally
mixed with some French, Amerindian (Carib people), Indian (Tamil),
Lebanese or Chinese ancestry. Between 5 and 10% of the population is of
East Indian (Tamil) origin. The island also boasts a small Syro-Lebanese
community, a small but increasing Chinese community, and the Béké
community, descendants of European ethnic groups of the first French and
British settlers, who still dominate parts of the agricultural and trade
sectors of the economy. Whites represent 5% of the population.
The Béké people (which totals around 5,000 people in the island, most of
them of aristocratic origin by birth or after buying the title)
generally live in mansions on the Atlantic coast of the island (mostly
in the François - Cap Est district). In addition to the island
population, the island hosts a metropolitan French community, most of
which lives on the island on a temporary basis (generally from 3 to 5
years).
There are an estimated 260,000 people of Martiniquan origin living in
mainland France, most of them in the Paris region.
Today, the island enjoys a higher standard of living than most other
Caribbean countries. The finest French products are easily available,
from Chanel fashions to Limoges porcelain. Studying in the métropole (mainland
France, especially Paris) is common for young adults. Martinique has
been a vacation hotspot for many years, attracting both upper-class
French and more budget-conscious travelers.
Martinique has a hybrid cuisine, mixing elements of African, French,
Carib Amerindian and South Asian traditions. One of its most famous
dishes is the Colombo (compare Tamil word kuzhambu for gravy or broth),
a unique curry of chicken (curry chicken), meat or fish with vegetables,
spiced with a distinctive masala of Tamil origins, sparked with tamarind,
and often containing wine, coconut milk, cassava and rum. A strong
tradition of Martiniquan desserts and cakes incorporate pineapple, rum,
and a wide range of local ingredients.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Martinique
Infrastructure
Main articles: Transportation in Martinique and Communications in
Martinique
Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport serves the island.
In popular culture
Martinique is the main setting of the 1944 film To Have and Have Not
starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
The island is mentioned in the song "Uffington wassail" by Half Man Half
Biscuit.
In the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, the characters of Angelique
Bouchard Collins, Josette du Pres, and Josette's family are from
Martinique.
Martinique was featured in the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair,
and in the movie Sugar Cane Alley.
Setting of Caridad Bravo Adams' novel Corazón Salvaje.
Much of the 1979 Italian thriller Concorde Affaire '79 took place on and
around the island.
The Bugs Bunny cartoon "8 Ball Bunny"' saw Bugs and a showbiz penguin
called Playboy stranded on Martinique.
"Martinique Blue" was a popular color used by automotive builder Pontiac,
a division of General Motors, on 1978 Firebirds and Trans Ams. Also
known as cowl tag color code 24.
Economy of Martinique
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search
Economy - overview: The economy is based on trade. 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 has become more important than
agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. The majority of
the work force is employed in the service sector and in administration.
GDP: real exchange rate - US$9.61 billion (in 2006)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (in 2006)
GDP - per capita: real exchange rate - US$24,118 (in 2006)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 11%
services: 83% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Labor force: 165 900 (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 10%, industry 17%, services 73%
(1997)
Unemployment rate: 27.2% (1998)
Budget:
revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $140
million (1996)
Industries: construction, rum, cement, petroleum refining, sugar,
tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1,205 GWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 1,000 GWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers,
vegetables, sugarcane
Exports: US$957 million (in 2005)
Exports - commodities: refined petroleum products, bananas, rum,
pineapples
Exports - partners: France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (1997)
Imports: US$3,098 billion (in 2005)
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% (1997)
Debt - external: $180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual aid from France
Currency: 1 euro (€) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367
(1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Banks
Banks are open for exchange Mon-Fri, 7.30am-12 midday and
2.30pm-4pm. They are closed on public holidays and weekends. Banks
generally require customers to show their passport and air ticket when
converting foreign dollars, particularly when converting Euros back to
your home currency.
Beaches
Martinique has a variety of beaches, from dazzling white strands to rich
charcoal-coloured beaches lined by flourishing tropical vegetation.
Martinique's beaches can be distinguished by their different locations.
Those on the Atlantic side of the island tend to feature picturesque
scenery, including towering rock cliffs and rolling green hills. Most of
the white-sand beaches are located on in the south of the island where
the shallow sea stretches across to St Lucia. To the north the beaches
have darker volcanic sand. Below is a selection of the best beaches on
Martinique.
Plage des Salines, southern tip
Many locals regard this beach, a stunning curve of white sand backed
with palms, as Martinique's finest. It can get busy at weekends but it
is generally pretty quiet in the week. No bathroom or shower facilities
are available but there is a restaurant.
Cap Chevalier, south-eastern tip
This beach at the southeastern tip of the island is popular for
windsurfers due to the strong winds. There are offshore reefs to explore
and several beach bars and snack stalls. Busy at weekends.
Pointe de Marin, west coast near the southern tip
Protected by the southern tip of the island, Pointe de Marin is one of
Martinique's most popular beaches. It faces west, so the sun hits it
longer than it does on the east coast beaches. Several small cafés and
eateries overlook the beach and bathroom and shower facilities are
nearby.
Diamant Plage, southern side
One of the island's larger beaches on Martinique's southwest corner. A
favourite with sunbathers. The beach doesn’t get too busy, thanks in
part to the rough water.
Les Anses d’Arlet, south of Fort de France
A sting of dark sand coves along the southwestern shore of Martinique.
Developed with small fishing villages and a few beach bars but a lovely
remote and local feel.
Pointe du Bout, Les Trois-Ilets
A small peninsula just across the bay from Fort-de-France, with several
small and man-made beaches. Some of Martinique's largest resort hotels
are located here.
Anse Céron, north of Le Prêcheur in the north-west
Pristine black sand beach, with the startling blue of the sea to the
west and unspoiled forests inland. Some snorkelling offshore. Bathroom
and shower facilities available.
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