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La Poste

La Poste

La Poste is the mail service of France, which also operates postal services in the French Overseas Departments of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, and the territorial collectivities of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte. La Poste postage stamps are valid for use in the Overseas Departments, but not in the Territorial Collectivities, which issue their own stamps, separate from metropolitan France. It also operates the postal service in Monaco, while in Andorra, it operates postal services alongside those of Spain. In addition to postal services, it also offers banking services and, via Chronopost, courier services. After the government, La Poste is the second biggest employer in France.

External link

- http://www.laposte.fr/
- [http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/DF_postal.shtml Postal Services in France - at Discover France (English)] Category:Postal organisations Category:Communications in France Category:Companies of France

Mail

]] The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post. In principle, a postal service can be private or official. Restrictions are generally placed on private systems by governments. Since the 19th century, national postal systems have generally been established as government monopolies with a fee on the article prepaid, often in the form of adhesive stamps. Government monopolies generally do not extend to delivery of parcels or to courier services, which provide express delivery. Postal systems often have functions other than sending letters. In some countries, the postal system also has some authority over telephone and telegraph systems. In others, postal systems allow for savings accounts and handling applications for passports.

Early postal systems

courier Communication via written documents which an intermediary carries from one person or place to another almost certainly dates back nearly to the invention of writing. The development of a formal postal system occurred much later, however. The first documented use of an organized courier service for the diffusion of written documents is in Egypt, where Pharaohs used couriers for the diffusion of their decrees in the territory of the State (2400 BC). This practice almost certainly has roots in the much older practice of oral messaging and may have been built on a pre-existing infrastructure.

Assyria

The first credible claim for the development of a real postal system comes from Persia, but the point of invention remains in question. The best documented claim (Xenophon) attributes the invention to the Persian King Cyrus the Great (550 BC), while other writers credit his successor Darius I of Persia (521 BC) Other sources claim much earlier dates for an Assyrian postal system, with credit given to Hammurabi (1700 BC) and Sargon II (722 BC). Mail may not have been the primary mission of this postal service, however. The role of the system as an intelligence gathering apparatus is well documented, and the service was (later) called angariae, a term that in time turned to indicate a tax system. The Old Testament (Esther, VIII) makes mention of this system: Ahasuerus, king of Medes, used couriers for communicating his decisions.

China

The next credible claimant to the title of first postal system is China. Claims concerning the origins of this mail system also conflict somewhat, but it is clear that an organized postal infrastructure is put in place during Qin Dynasty (221 BC–207 BC) and that was substantially expanded during the subsequent Han Dynasty. The origins of a Chinese mail system may go back to the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC–256 BC), when Confucius (551 BC–479 BC) says "news of deeds travels faster than the mail." It may also build on a pre-existing messaging infrastructure started by the Shang Dynasty. Whatever its point of origin, the Chinese Postal Service has clear title to the world's oldest continuously operating mail system. Today's Chinese mail system is continuous with one that was probably formalized under the Qin Dynasty.

Rome

The first well documented postal service is that of Rome. Organized at the time of Augustus Caesar (62 BC–AD 14), it may also be the first true mail service. The service was called cursus publicus, and was provided with light carriages called rhedæ with fast horses; additionally there was another, slower, service equipped with two-wheels carts (birolæ) pulled by oxen. This service was reserved to the government's correspondence; another service for citizens was later added. By the name of the stations in which mail was distributed and messengers' routes crossed, derives the Latin name of mail, Posta (originally posata or pausata = place of rest) because in these stations messengers used to rest during their voyages. The English term "mail" is instead supposed coming from the Teutonic name for the bag used by messengers.

Other systems

Another important postal service was created in the Islamic world by the caliph Mu'awiyya; the service was called barid, by the name of the towers that were built in order to protect the roads by which couriers travelled. Well before the Middle Ages and during them, homing pigeons were used, taking advantage of a singular quality of this bird, which when taken far from its nest is able to find his way home due to a particularly developed sense of orientation. Messages were then tied around the legs of the pigeon, which was freed and could reach his original nest. Mail has been transported by quite a few other methods throughout history, including dogsled, balloon, rocket, mule, pneumatic tubes and even submarine. Charlemagne extended to the whole territory of his empire the system used by Franks in northern Gaul, and connected this service with the service of missi dominici. Many religious orders had a private mail service, notably Cistercians' one connected more than 6,000 abbeys, monasteries and churches. The best organisation however was created by Teutonic Knights. The newly instituted universities too had their private services, starting from Bologna (1158). Popular illiteracy was accommodated through the service of scribes. Illiterates who needed to communicate dictated their messages to a scribe, another profession now quite generally disappeared. In 1505, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I established a postal system in the Empire, appointing Franz von Thurn und Taxis to run it. Von Thurn und Taxis's family, then known as Tassis, had operated postal services between Italian city states from 1290 onwards. Following the abolition of the Empire in 1806 the Thurn und Taxis postal system continued as a private organisation, continuing to exist into the postage stamp era before finally being absorbed into the postal system of the new German Empire after 1871. Study of the mails is also known as postal history.

Modern mail

Modern mail is usually organised by national services (that in recent times are increasingly being replaced by privately owned companies), reciprocally interconnected by international regulations (some of which still in their original 18th-century form, many others of which are set out by the Universal Postal Union), organisations and agreements.

Organization

Universal Postal Union and UPS compete with the United States Postal Service, particularly in package delivery. Different mailboxes are also provided for local and express service.]] The world-wide postal system comprising the individual national postal systems of the world's self-governing states is co-ordinated by the Universal Postal Union, which among other things sets international postage rates, defines standards for postage stamps and operates the system of International Reply Coupons. In many countries a system of codes has been created (they are called ZIP Codes in the United States and postal codes in most other countries), in order to facilitate the automation of operations. This also includes placing additional marks on the address portion of the letter or mailed object, called "bar coding." Bar coding of mail for delivery is usually expressed either by a series of vertical bars, usually called POSTNET coding, or a block of dots as a two-dimensional barcode. The "block of dots" method allows for the encoding of proof of payment of postage, exact routing for delivery, and other features. two-dimensional barcode The ordinary mail service was improved in the 20th century with the use of planes for a quicker delivery (air mail). The first scheduled airmail service took place between the London suburbs of Hendon and Windsor on 9 September 1911. Some methods of airmail proved ineffective, however, including the United States Postal Service's experiment with [http://www.usps.com/history/history/his2_75.htm#MISSILE guided missiles for international mail transport] (external link). Receipts services were made available in order to grant the sender a confirmation of effective delivery. Mail going to naval vessels is known as the Fleet Post Office.

Payment

Worldwide the most common method of prepaying postage is by buying an adhesive postage stamp to be stuck to the envelope before mailing; a much less common method is to use a postage-prepaid envelope. Franking is a method of creating postage-prepaid envelopes under licence using a special machine. They are used by companies with large mail programs such as banks and direct mail companies. In 1998, the U.S. Postal Service authorised the first tests of a secure system of sending digital franks via the Internet to be printed out on a PC printer, obviating the necessity to license a dedicated franking machine and allowing companies with smaller mail programs to make use of the option. The service provided by the U.S. Postal Service in 2003 allows the franks to be printed out on special adhesive-backed labels. In 2004 the Royal Mail in the United Kingdom introduced its SmartStamp Internet-based system, allowing printing on ordinary adhesive labels or envelopes. Similar systems are being considered by postal administrations right around the world. When the pre-paid envelope or package is accepted into the mail by an agent of the postal service, the agent usually indicates by means of a cancellation that it is no longer valid for pre-payment of postage. The exceptions are when the agent forgets or neglects to cancel the mailpiece, or for stamps that are pre-cancelled and thus do not require cancellation.

Rules and etiquette

Mail is quite generally protected by the secret of correspondence (secretus epistulae), meaning that no letter or other document can be read by other than the receiver (under U.S. law, this only applies to First Class Mail). This right is usually guaranteed by most national constitutions, such as the Mexican Constitution, and is alluded to in the European Convention of Human Rights.[http://www.echr.coe.int/Convention/webConvenENG.pdf] Usually, special procedures are required in case correspondence has to be, openly or discreetly, controlled by police. The operations of control of private citizens' mail is called censorship and concerns social, political and legal aspects of civil rights. While in most cases this censorship is exceptional, military censorship of mail, particularly of soldiers at the front, is routine and almost universally applied. In the United Kingdom, once the sender places a letter in a postbox or hands over a parcel to the Post Office to be delivered, they belong to, and are protected by The Crown, until handed over to the recipient. The use of mail is subject to common rules and a particular etiquette. After the discovery of new communicating systems and vehicles, mail lost most of its special charm in favour of more quickly connecting systems such as the telephone, and remained as a vehicle for commercial or formal documents. It is however still widely in use in more cultivated classes for personal communication; in particular, wedding invitations are customarily sent by mail.

Rise of electronic correspondence

Since the advent of e-mail, which is usually faster, the postal system has come to be referred to in Internet slang by the retronym "snail mail". Occasionally, the term "white mail" or "the PaperNet" has also been used as a neutral term for postal mail. In modern times, mainly in the 20th century, mail has found an evolution in vehicles using newer technologies to deliver the documents, especially through the telephone network; these new vehicles include telegram, telex, facsimile (fax), e-mail, short message service (SMS). There have been methods which have combined mail and some of these newer methods, such as INTELPOST, which combined facsimile transmission with overnight delivery. These vehicles commonly use a mechanical or electro-mechanical standardised writing (typing), that on the one hand makes for more efficient communication, while on the other hand makes impossible characteristics and practices that traditionally were in conventional mail, such as calligraphy. This epoch is undoubtedly mainly dominated by mechanical writing, with a general use of no more of half a dozen standard typographic fonts from standard keyboards. However, the increased use of typewritten or computer-printed letters for personal communication and the advent of e-mail, has sparked renewed interest in calligraphy, as a letter has become more of a "special event." Long before e-mail and computer-printed letters, however, decorated envelopes, rubber stamps and artistamps formed part of the medium of mail art.

Collecting

Postage stamps are also object of a particular form of collecting, and in some cases, when demand greatly exceeds supply, their commercial value on this specific market may become enormously greater than face value, even after use. For some postal services the sale of stamps to collectors who will never use them is a significant source of revenue for example postage stamps from Tokelau, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, Niuafo´ou and many others. Stamp collecting is commonly known as philately, although strictly the latter term refers to the study of stamps. Another form of collecting regards postcards, a document written on a single robust sheet of paper, usually decorated with photographic pictures or artistic drawings on one of the sides, and short messages on a small part of the other side, that also contained the space for the address. In strict philatelic usage, the postcard is to be distinguished from the postal card, which has a pre-printed postage on the card. The fact that this communication is visible by other than the receiver often causes the messages to be written in jargon. Letters are often studied as an example of literature, and also in biography in the case of a famous person. A portion of the New Testament of the Bible is composed of the Apostle Paul's epistles to Christian congregations in various parts of the Roman Empire. See below for a list of famous letters. A style of writing, called epistolary, tells a fictional story in the form of the correspondence between two or more characters. A make-shift mail method after stranding on a deserted island is a message in a bottle.

Deregulation

- see also: New Zealand Post Several countries, including Sweden (in 1991), New Zealand (1998 and 2003) and Argentina have opened up the postal services market to new entrants. In the case of New Zealand Post Limited, this included (from 2003) its right to be the sole New Zealand postal administration member of the Universal Postal Union, thus the ending of its monopoly on stamps bearing the name New Zealand.

Types of mail

Universal Postal Union

Letters

Letter-sized mail comprises the bulk of the contents sent through most postal services. These are usually documents printed on A4 (210×297 mm), Letter-sized (8.5×11 inches), or smaller paper and placed in envelopes. While many things are sent through the mail, interpersonal letters are often thought of first in reference to postal systems. Handwritten correspondence, while once a major means of communications between distant people, is now used less frequently due to the advent of more immediate means of communication, such as the telephone or e-mail. Traditional letters, however, are often considered to harken back to a "simpler time" and are still used when someone wishes to be deliberate and thoughtful about his or her communication. Bills and invoices are often sent through the mail, like regular billing correspondence from utility companies and other service providers. These letters often contain a self-addressed, envelope that allows the receiver to remit payment back to the company easily. While still very common, many people now opt to use online bill payment services, which eliminate the need to receive bills through the mail. Bulk mail, often called junk mail, are commercial solicitations sent by advertisers. The senders of these messages sometimes purchase lists of addresses (which are sometimes targeted towards certain demographics) and then send letters advertising their product or service to all recipients. Other times, commercial solicitations are sent by local companies advertising local products, like a restaurant delivery service advertising to their delivery area or a retail store sending their weekly advertising circular to a general area. Bulk mail is also often sent to companies' existing subscriber bases, advertising new products or services. Many other things are also sent as letters through postal services, like wedding invitations and bank statements.

Repositionable Notes

The United States Postal Service has recently permitted "repositionable notes" to be attached to the outside of envelopes.[http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2005/pr05_028.htm]

Postal cards and postcards

Postal cards and postcards are small message cards which are sent by mail unenveloped; the distinction often, though not invariably and reliably, drawn between them is that "postal cards" are issued by the postal authority or entity with the "postal indica" (or "stamp") preprinted on them, while postcards are privately issued and require affixing an adhesive stamp (though there have been some cases of a postal authority's issuing non-stamped postcards). Postcards are often printed today to promote tourism, with pictures of resorts, tourist attractions or humorous messages on the front and allowing for a short message from the sender to be written on the back. The postage required for postcards is generally less than postage required for standard letters, although the United States Postal Service has imposed a surcharge for the purchase of postal cards, over and above the required postage. Postcards are also used by magazines for new subscriptions. Inside many magazines are postage-paid subscription cards that a reader can fill out and mail back to the publishing company to be billed for a subscription to the magazine. In this fashion, magazines also use postcards for other purposes, including reader surveys, contests or information requests. Postcards are sometimes sent by charities to their members with a message to be signed and sent to a politician (e.g. to promote fair trade or third world debt cancellation). third world debt

Other

Larger envelopes are also sent through the mail. These are often made of sturdier material than standard envelopes and are often used by businesses to transport documents that are not to be folded or damaged, such as legal documents and contracts. Due to their size, larger envelopes are sometimes charged additional postage. Packages are often sent through some postal services, usually requiring additional postage than an average letter or postcard. Many postal services have limits on what can and cannot be sent inside packages, usually placing limits or bans on perishable, hazardous or flammable materials. Additionally, because of terrorism concerns, the U.S. Postal Service subjects their packages to various security tests, often scanning or x-raying packages for materials that might be found in mail bombs. Magazine subscriptions are also sent through postal services. Many magazines are simply placed in the mail normally (but in the U.S., they are printed with a special bar code that acts as pre-paid postage - see POSTNET) but many are now shipped in shrinkwrap to protect the loose contents of the magazine.

Famous letters

- Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet
- Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail
- The Pauline epistles
- Samantha Smith's letter to Yuri Andropov
- Virginia O'Hanlon's letter to the New York Sun, replied to in a famous editorial

List of national postal services

famous editorial
- An Post (Ireland)
- Australia Post
- Canada Post
- China Post, 中国邮政 (People's Republic of China)
- Chunghwa Post, 中華郵政 (Republic of China)
- Correos (Spain)
- Correios (Brazil)
- CTT (Portugal)
- Deutsche Post (Germany)
- De Post, La Poste, Die Post or The Post (Belgium)
- Hongkong Post (Hong Kong)
- Indian Postal Service
- Indonesian Post - Pos Indonesia
- Japan Post
- Jersey Post, (Jersey)
- La Poste (France)
- Magyar Posta (Hungary)
- New Zealand Post
- PhilPost-Philippine Postal Corporation (Philippines)
- Post Danmark (Denmark)
- Poste Italiane (Italy)
- Posten (Sweden)
- Poşta Română (Romania)
- Royal Mail (United Kingdom)
- Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telégrafos (Spain)
- Swiss Post (Switzerland)
- TPG Post, formerly PTT (The Netherlands)
- United States Postal Service

External links

- Potts, Albert, "[http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=19578.WKU.&OS=PN/19578&RS=PN/19578 US19578] (First U.S. street mailbox patent)". US patent office. 1858
- [http://www.ipfeurope.com International Pen Friends] Category:Postal system ja:郵便 ko:편지 th:%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%93%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%8C

Département d'outre-mer

Under the 1946 Constitution of the Fourth Republic, the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in the Caribbean and Réunion in the Indian Ocean became départements d'outre-mer (in English Overseas Departments) or DOMs. The status of DOMs differs from that of Overseas Territories (TOMs), but because of some common peculiarities, DOMs, TOMs and other overseas possessions with other statuses are often referred to as DOM/TOM. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon became a DOM in 1976, but its status changed to that of a collectivité territoriale in 1985. As integral parts of the French Republic, they are represented in the National Assembly, Senate and Economic and Social Council, elect a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and also use the Euro as their currency. Since 1982, following the French government's policy of decentralisation, they have elected regional councils with powers similar to those of the régions of metropolitan France. As a result of a constitutional revision which occurred in 2003, these régions are now to be called régions d'outre-mer; indeed the new wording of the Constitution aims to give no precedence to either appellation département or région d'outre-mer, though the second one is still virtually unused by French media.

External links

- [http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr Ministère de l'Outre-Mer]
- [http://www.vie-publique.fr/decouverte_instit/instit/instit_3_7_0_q0.htm past and current developments of France's overseas administrative divisions like DOMs and TOMs (in French)] Category:French overseas departments, territories and collectivities ko:해외 레지옹

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an archipelago in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a total area of 1,702 km². It is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. Like the other DOMs, Guadeloupe is also one of the 26 régions (région d'outre-mer) of France, and an integral part of the Republic.

History

région d'outre-mer Guadeloupe was populated from 300 BC by the Arawak Amerindians, who fished and developed agriculture on the island. It was next inhabited by the Caribs, who pushed out most of the Arawak in the 8th century, and who renamed the island "Karukera" or the "Island of beautiful waters". During his second trip to America Christopher Columbus became the first European to land on Guadeloupe on 14 November 1493. He called it Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura, after the image of the Virgin Mary venerated at the Spanish monastery of Villuercas, in Guadalupe, Extremadura. The French took possession of the island in 1635 and wiped out many of the Carib. It was annexed to France in 1674. Over the next century, the island was seized several times by the British. One indication of Guadeloupe's prosperity at this time is that in the Treaty of Paris (1763), France abandoned its territorial claims in Canada in return for British recognition of French control of Guadeloupe. Canada In an effort to take advantage of the chaos ensuing from the French Revolution, Britain attempted to seize Guadeloupe in 1794 and held it from April 21 to June 2. The French retook the island under the command of Victor Hugues, who succeeded in freeing the slaves. They revolted and turned on the slave-owners who controlled the sugar plantations, but when American interests were threatened, Napoleon sent a force to suppress the rebels and reinstitute slavery. Louis Delgrès and a group of revolutionary soldiers killed themselves on the slopes of the Matouba volcano when it became obvious that the invading troops would take control of the island. The occupation force killed approximately 10,000 Guadeloupeans in the process of restoring "order" to the island. On February 4, 1810 the British once again seized the island and held it until March 3, 1813, when it was ceded to Sweden as a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars. Sweden already had a colony in the area, the nearby island of Saint-Barthélemy, but merely a year later Sweden left the island to France in the Treaty of Paris of 1814. An ensuing settlement between Sweden and the British gave rise to the Guadeloupe Fund. French control of Guadeloupe was finally acknowledged in the Treaty of Vienna in 1815. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher. Today the population of Guadeloupe is a blend of Europeans, Africans and Indians. Guadeloupe became an overseas département of France on March 19, 1946. A local independence movement has been involved occasionally in acts of violence against the French government in order to achieve its aims.

Geography

1946] 1946 Main Article: Geography of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe comprises five islands: Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre (separated from Basse-Terre by a narrow sea channel called salt river) with the adjacent islands of La Désirade, Les Saintes and Marie-Galante. Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief whilst Grande-Terre features rolling hills and flat plains. Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin come under the juridiction of Guadeloupe. On December 7, 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas territorial collectivity. [http://www.statoids.com/ugp.html]

Demographics

Population: 426,493 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (male 54,603; female 52,339)
15-64 years: 66% (male 139,640; female 142,706)
65 years and over: 9% (male 15,647; female 21,558) (2000 est.) Population growth rate: 1.11% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 17.25 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.) Infant mortality rate: 9.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.99 years
male: 73.82 years
female: 80.3 years (2000 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.93 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% Languages: French (official) 99%, Creole patois Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 90%
female: 90% (1982 est.)

Politics

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789) Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) Legal system: French legal system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques Chirac of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique Vian (since 6 August 2002)
head of government: President of the General Council Jacques Gillot (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Lucette Michaux-Chevry (since 22 March 1992)
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 Legislative branch: 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 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)
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 - percent of vote by party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG 5.29%, diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 2
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 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FGPS 2, RPR 1, PPDG 1 Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique. Political parties and leaders:
- Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG Christian Celeste
- FGPS Dominique Larifla
- Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG Henri Bangou
- Rally for the Republic or RPR Aldo Blaise
- Socialist Party or PS Georges Louisor
- Union for French Democracy or UDF Marcel Esdras Political pressure groups and leaders:
- 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 International organisation participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU See Also:
- Colonial and Departmental Heads of Guadeloupe

Economy

Main article: Economy of Guadeloupe Economy of Guadeloupe The economy of Guadeloupe 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 United States; 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.

External links

- [http://www.supphoto.com/album/french_west_indies/guadeloupe/ Pictures of Guadeloupe Island]
- [http://www.guadeloupe.pref.gouv.fr/ Website of the prefecture of Guadeloupe]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=16.189618,-61.482239&spn=0.759246,0.962814&t=k Guadeloupe at Google Maps] Category:Swedish colonies Category:Special territories of the EU zh-min-nan:Guadeloupe ko:과들루프 ja:グアドループ

Martinique

Martinique is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Caribbean Sea. Like the other DOMs, Martinique is also a région (région d'outre-mer) of France. région d'outre-mer

History

Main article: History of Martinique Colonized by France in 1635, the Carib Expulsion occurred in 1660 when the island's indigenous peoples were deported and banned from returning by the French occupying forces. The island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. From 1635 (arrival of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, a French aristocrat who took possession of the island for France) to 1946, Martinique lived as a French colony producing tropical trade goods such as cane sugar, coffee, rum or cocoa. African captives were brought from West Africa to form the slave population who is at the origin of most of today's population. Martinique was the birthplace of Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was not black, but the offspring of colonial slave-owning aristocrats. The remnants of her parent's plantation, La Pagerie, can still be seen at Les Trois Ilets, across the bay from Fort-de-France. On May 8 1902 Mount Pelée, a volcano on the island erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre killing over 30,000 people. Only one resident survived the blast — a prisoner by the name of Ludger Sylbaris, who was protected by the thick walls of his cell. Martinique became an overseas département of France on March 19, 1946. This means it is treated equally to every other département in France and has full representation in the National Assembly and Senate. Martinique is especially well known for the number of great authors that have come from the island and become extremely famous in France and throughout the world. It has also become known for a form of music called zouk, which developed in the 1980s.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Martinique

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Martinique See also Communes of the Martinique département

Geography

Communes of the Martinique département Main article: Geography of Martinique

Economy

Main article: Economy of Martinique

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Martinique

Culture

Main article: Culture of Martinique See also: Music of Martinique and Guadeloupe

Miscellaneous topics

- Communications in Martinique
- Foreign relations of Martinique
- Holidays in Martinique
- Military: defense is the responsibility of France.
Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie
- Thomas Voeckler
- Transportation in Martinique

External links and references

- Some material from the [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mb.html CIA World Factbook]
- [http://www.zananas-martinique.com/en-index.php The active and festive guide of Martinique]
- [http://www.antanlontan-antilles.com/caribbean-postcards/martinique.htm Vintage Postcards of Martinique.]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=14.621458,-61.013947&spn=0.607198,0.962814&t=k Martinique at Google Maps] Category:Special territories of the EU zh-min-nan:Martinique ko:마르티니크 ja:マルティニーク

French Guiana

French Guiana (French: Guyane française, officially Guyane) is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located on the Caribbean coast of South America and part of Caribbean South America. Like the other DOMs, French Guiana is also a région (région d'outre-mer) of France. It is the smallest political entity on the South American mainland (Suriname is the smallest independent South American country). It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west (part of the eastern border with Suriname is disputed).

History

Main article: History of French Guiana First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements (see Devil's Island) until 1951.

Politics

Main article: Politics of French Guiana As an integral part of France, French Guiana is part of the European Union, the largest part in area outside Europe and the only part outside Europe that is not an island (other than the Spanish exclaves in Morocco). The Head of State is the French President who appoints a Préfet (resident at the Prefecture building in Cayenne) as his/her representative. There are two legislative bodies: the 19-member General Council and the 34-member Regional Council, both elected. French Guiana has two seat at the National Assembly in Paris. French Guiana has traditionally been conservative, though the socialist party has been increasingly successful in recent years. Though many would like to see more autonomy for the region, support for complete independence is very low.

Geography

Main article: Geography of French Guiana French Guiana consists of three main geographical regions: a coastal strip where the majority of the people live, then dense, near-inaccessible rainforest, which gradually rises to the modest peaks of the Tumac-Humac mountains along the Brazilian frontier. French Guiana's highest peak is Bellevue de l'Inini (851 m). Other mountains include Mont Machalou (782 m), Pic Coudreau (711 m) and Mont St Marcel (635 m), Mont Favard (200 m) and Montare du Mahury (156 m). The Barrage de Petit-Saut in the north of French Guiana is an artificial lake created by a dam in order to provide hydroelectricity. There are many rivers in French Guiana. There are some small islands off the coast, including the Iles du Salut (Salvation Islands), containing Devil's Island. A chronic issue is the influx of illegal immigrants and illegal gold prospectors from Brazil and Suriname. The borders between French Guiana and those countries lie along the Maroni River in the rainforest, which are difficult to patrol for French Gendarmerie forces. (The border line with Suriname is disputed.) Illegal gold prospection generates a lot of pollution, especially by mercury, and is also a vector for alcoholism and sexually-transmitted diseases. See also: Communes of the Guyane département and List of cities in French Guiana

Economy

Main Article: Economy of French Guiana French Guiana is heavily dependent on France for subsidies and goods. The main industries are fishing (accounting for 3/4 of foreign exports), gold and bauxite mining and timber. In addition the space centre at Kourou accounts for 25% of the GDP and employs about 1700 people. There is very little manufacturing and agriculture is largely undeveloped (except among the Hmong population). Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is growing. Unemployment is a major problem, running at about 20%-30%. eco-tourism

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of French Guiana French Guiana's population of 195,506 (July 2005 est.), most of whom live along the coast, is very ethnically diverse. Estimates of the percentages of French Guiana ethnic composition vary, a problem compounded by the large numbers of legal and illegal immigrants (about 20,000). Creoles (black and mixed black and white) are the largest ethnic group, though estimates vary as to the exact percentage depending upon whether the large Haitian community is included as well. Generally the Creole population is judged at about 60%-70% with Haitians (roughly 1/3) and 30%-50% without. Roughly 10% are Europeans, the vast majority of whom are French. There are smaller groups of people from neighbouring states, attracted by French Guiana's relative wealth. Of these about 8% are Brazilian, 4% Surinamese and 2.5% Guyanese. The main Asian communities are the Hmong from Laos (1.5%) and Chinese (primarily from Hong Kong; 3.2%). There are also much smaller numbers of people from various Caribbean islands. The main groups living in the interior are the Maroons (also called Bush Negroes) and Amerindians. The Maroons, descendents of escaped African slaves, live primarily along the Maroni River. The main Maroon groups are the Paramacca, Aucan (both of whom also live in Suriname) and the Boni. The main Amerindian groups (forming about 3%-4% of the population) are the Arawak, Emerillon, Galibi, Palikour, Wayampi (also known as Oyampi) and Wayana. The predominant religion in the country is Roman Catholicism, though the Maroons and some Amerindian peoples still practice their own religions. The Hmong people are also mainly Catholic owing to the influence of Catholic missionaries who 'helped' bring them to French Guiana.

External links

General information
- [http://www.geocities.com/kouroufrenchguiana/index.html Gabe's French Guiana] with information and many photos
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/South_America/French_Guiana Open Directory Project - French Guiana] directory category
- [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1117.html US Consular Information Sheet] Other
- [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=French+Guiana Ethnologue French Guiana page]
- [http://www.kwata.org/index_eng.htm Kwata - French Guiana conservation group]
- [http://kourou.cirad.fr/ Silvolab Guyanae - scientific interest group in French Guiana]
- [http://www.luxner.com/cgi-bin/view_article.cgi?articleID=661 Article on separatism in French Guiana]
- [http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/frenchguiana/ About.com French Guiana travel site]
- [http://r.douzal.free.fr/FM-Guyana-01.htm French Guiana photo gallery]
- [http://www.horizo.com/photo_guyane.htm French Guiana image gallery]
- [http://www.galenfrysinger.com/cayenne.htm Photo gallery]
- [http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/7a/750x750_frenchguiana_m.gif French Guiana map] Category:French Guiana Category:Special territories of the EU zh-min-nan:Guyane ja:フランス領ギアナ simple:French Guiana

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (French Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon) is a French overseas collectivity consisting of several small islands off the eastern coast of Canada near Newfoundland. It is the only remainder of the former colonial territory of New France.

History

Main article: History of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Saint-Pierre and Miquelon has been under French control since 1763. Paleoeskimo or Dorset culture artifacts have been uncovered in Saint-Pierre (Anse à Henry). Some of these date back to 3000 BC. Named the 'Eleven Thousand Virgins' by Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes in 1521, the islands were also named the 'Islands of Saint-Pierre' by the French. During the 16th century, the islands were used as a base for the seasonal cod fishery by the French of La Rochelle, Granville, Saint-Malo and the Basque Country. When French explorer Jacques Cartier was in Saint-Pierre in 1536 he made note of the French and Breton fishery. The name Miquelon is of Basque origin as this island was used by fishermen from Saint-Jean de Luz. Saint-Pierre was settled by the French in the early 17th century, abandoned under the Treaty of Utrecht, and returned to France in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War. Between 1763 and 1778, the islands became a place of refuge for Acadian deportees from Nova Scotia. In 1778 the islands were attacked and the population deported by the British as retaliation for French support of the American Revolutionary War. Although France regained the islands in 1783, by 1793, British hostility to the French Revolution and the fact that France had declared war with Britain led to another British attack on the islands and the deportation of the entire population. deportation The islands were finally returned to France after the second abdication of Napoleon in 1816. They represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. They have always been most important as a fishing centre, being in easy travelling distance of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, some of the world's richest fishing grounds. The islands were used during American Prohibition as a base for smuggling liquor into the United States by many gangsters including Al Capone and Bill McCoy. After Germany invaded most of Europe during World War II, the islands were controlled by Vichy France. On Christmas Day 1941, Free French forces led by Rear-Admiral Émile Muselier liberated the islands on behalf of Charles de Gaulle. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon became the focus of a serious rift between Free French forces and the United States Department of State, which was courting Vichy France and sent ships to take the islands back. The islands became a full département d'outre mer of France in 1976. This status was modified in 1985 and the islands became a territory with special status (collectivité territoriale à statut particulier).

Politics

Main article: Politics of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon In 1992, a maritime boundary dispute with Canada over the delineation of the Exclusive Economic Zone belonging to France was settled by the International Court of Arbitration. In the decision, France kept the 12 nautical mile (NM) (22.2 km) territorial sea surrounding the islands and was given an additional 12 NM (22.2 km) contiguous zone as well as a 10.5 NM (19.4 km) wide corridor stretching 200 NM (370 km) south. The total area in the award was 18% of what France had requested. The boundary dispute had been a flash point for Franco-Canadian relations. New claims made under UNCLOS by France over the continental shelf might cause new tensions between France and Canada.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon right The island of Saint-Pierre is surrounded by smaller dependencies which include the island of Grand Colombier, Petit Colombier, and Île aux Marins formally known as Île aux Chiens. The island of Miquelon was formed by the joining of three islands by sand dunes and Quaternary deposits. These islands are Le Cap, Miquelon (Grande Miquelon), Langlade (Petite Miquelon). The climate is very damp and windy, the winters are harsh and long. The spring and early summer are foggy and cool. Late summer and early fall are sunny.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon The islands were dependent upon the cod fishery for the best part of the last four centuries. However, overfishing on the Grand Banks has led Canada to impose a long-term closure of this industry. Since fishing quotas are governed by Canada, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and the French Fishery have been seriously affected. In Saint-Pierre and Miquelon many efforts are being made, with the help of the French government, to diversify the local economy. Tourism, fish farming, crab fishing and agriculture are being developed. The islands continue to print their own postage stamps but use the Euro currency.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

Culture

Main article: Culture of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon French patriotism is still strong on the islands, and the islanders are proud that some of the soil on the island is French, having been brought over in the ballasts of ships.

Military

Defense is the responsibility of France (see also Military of France).

Miscellaneous topics

- Communications in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
- Transportation in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

External links

Community, culture and history

- [http://www.mairie-stpierre.fr Municipal Government of St-Pierre]
- [http://www.grandcolombier.com/english/history.html History of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]
- [http://www.grandcolombier.com/2003-english/index.html St Pierre & Miquelon Online Community]
- [http://www.grandcolombier.com/2003-culture/poste/allen/index.html Philatelic articles by David Allen]
- [http://www.grandcolombier.com/2003-histoire/1942/english.html The liberation of St Pierre & Miquelon December 24th 1941 by the Free French Naval Forces ]
- [http://worldatwar.net/article/miquelon/ The Liberation of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon by Richard Doody]
- [http://www.mathurin.com Saint-Pierre & Miquelon Online Magazine]
- [http://www.cheznoo.net/ Local Telecom Provider & Webcam]
- [http://saintpierremiquelon.rfo.fr/ St Pierre & Miquelon Television and Radio]
- [http://www.lutheriespm.com Violin Making Workshop]
- [http://artschipel.spmnet.com Music festival and cultural events]
- [http://www.ccspm.net St-Pierre Cultural and Sporting Center]

Travel and tourism

- [http://www.airsaintpierre.com Local Airline Air Saint-Pierre]
- [http://www.spmexpress.net Ferry service for Saint-Pierre, Miquelon and Fortune Newfoundland]
- [http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Saint_Pierre_and_Miquelon Wikitravel for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon ]
- [http://www2.st-pierre-et-miquelon.info St-Pierre et Miquelon Tourist Office Official Website]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/index.php Tourism and Travel Resources for St Pierre & Miquelon]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/questions.php Frequently Asked Questions Tourism and Travel]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/cartes.php Maps of Towns in Saint-Pierre & Miquelon]
- [http://www2.st-pierre-et-miquelon.info/ds_pages/page9.html Official Travel & Tourist Guide 2005]
- [http://www.hoteliledefrance.net Hotel Ile de France - Saint-Pierre]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/ourester/aubergestpierre.php Auberge Saint-Pierre - Online Reservations]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/ourester/hotellesiris.php Résidence les Iris - Online Reservations]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/ourester/hotelrobert.php L'Hôtel Robert
- ]
- [http://www.st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/english/oumanger/lavoilerie.php La Voilerie, French Restaurant]

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Business

- [http://www.terre-i-mer.com Terre-i-Mer is a Miquelon Island
- based business that offers a number of services including algae farming and packaging. ]
- [http://www.hpaturelconseilimmo.com/ Henri Paturel, Conseil Immobilier - Rental and Real Estate Purchases ]
- [http://www.transportspm.com/ Shipping and Transportation]
- [http://www.miquelon.net/ Miquelon Consulting]

Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France (French: la France métropolitaine, or just la Métropole) refers to the part of France in Europe, including Corsica, as opposed to the overseas departments and overseas territories, which, while integral parts of the French Republic, are regarded as Overseas France (la France d'outre-mer, or more colloquially les DOM-TOM). In the overseas departments, a person from Metropolitan France is often called a métro, short for métropolitain. As of January 1, 2005, there were 60,561,200 people living in Metropolitan France, while there were 2,495,000 people living in Overseas France, giving a total of 63,056,200 inhabitants in the French Republic. Metropolitan France excluding the island of Corsica is referred to as Continental France (la France continentale), or just the Continent (le continent). In Corsica, people from Continental France are referred to as "Continentals" (les continentaux).

Monaco

Monaco, more formally, the Principality of Monaco (in French: Principauté de Monaco; in Monegasque: Principatu de Munegu) is a city state and one of the European microstates. It is located between the Mediterranean Sea and France along the French Riviera, near the French border with Italy. Monaco is the most densely populated independent country in the world¹ and the world's second-smallest independent country.

History

Main article: History of Monaco Monaco derives its name from the nearby Greek colony, Monoikos, founded in the 6th century BCE by the Phoceans. According to an ancient myth, Hercules passed through the Monaco area. A temple was constructed there by Phoceans, the temple of Hercules Monoikos (Μόνοικος means single house or single temple). Hercules with a sword under his frock]] Monaco was re-founded in 1215 as a colony of Genoa. Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297, when François Grimaldi (aka: Malizia) seized the fortress protecting the famous rock while dressed up as a Franciscan monk (monaco in Italian); the only exception to this was from 1793 to 1814, when Monaco was under French control. Designated as a protectorate of Sardinia from 1815 until 1860 by the Congress of Vienna, Monaco's sovereignty was recognised by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Until the 1911 constitution, the Princes of Monaco ruled absolutely. In July 1918, a treaty was signed providing for limited French protection over Monaco. The treaty, part of the Treaty of Versailles, established that Monegasque policy would be aligned with French political, military, and economic interests. Rainier III, Prince of Monaco acceded to the throne following the death of his grandfather, Prince Louis II, in 1949. A new constitution, proclaimed in 1962, abolished capital punishment, provided for female suffrage, and established a Supreme Court to guarantee fundamental liberties. In 1993, Monaco became a member of the United Nations, with full voting rights. In 2002, a new treaty between France and Monaco clarifies that if there are no heirs to carry on the dynasty, the Principality will remain an independent nation rather than revert to the French. Monaco's military defence, however, is still the responsibility of France. Prince Albert, Marquis of Baux took over the royal duties on 31 March 2005 because his father Prince Rainier III was too ill to exercise his royal functions. On 6 April 2005, Prince Rainier died and his son succeeded him as Albert II of Monaco. Prince Albert II of Monaco formally became the ruler of Monaco on July 12, 2005 in a celebration that began with a solemn Mass at the cathedral where his father was buried three months before, after a reign of 56 years. His accession to the throne was a two-step event with another ceremony drawing heads of state for an elaborate ceremony held on November 19, 2005.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Monaco Monaco has been governed as a constitutional monarchy since 1911, with the Sovereign Prince of Monaco as head of state. The executive branch consists of a Minister of State (the head of government), who presides over a four-member Council of Government (the cabinet). The Minister of State is a French citizen appointed by the Prince from among candidates proposed by the French Government. Under the 1962 constitution, the Prince shares his power with the unicameral National Council (parliament). The 24 members of this legislative body are elected from lists by universal suffrage for five-year terms. The principality's local affairs are directed by the Communal Council, which consists of 15 elected members and is presided over by the Mayor.

Geography

universal suffrage Main article: Geography of Monaco The Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after Vatican City. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, 18 kilometres east of Nice and near the Italian border, and is surrounded on three sides by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Région of France. It consists of a narrow strip along the coast at the bottom of the foothills of the Alps and its highest point is "Le Rocher" at 140 m. Monaco is divided into seven sections or quarters (quartiers): Monaco-Ville, the capital, the old city on a rocky promontory extending into the Mediterranean known as the Rock of Monaco; La Condamine, the section along the port; Monte Carlo, the principal residential and resort area with the casino; Fontvieille, a newly constructed area reclaimed from the sea; Moneghetti, on the western border with Cap d`Ail; Larvotto - Tenao includes the beach area to the east of the principality. Saint Roman is the easternmost tip, bordering the Tenao. The principality is noted for its beautiful natural scenery and mild, sunny climate. The average minimum temperature in January and February is 8 °C (47 °F); in July and August the average maximum temperature is 26 °C (78 °F). Monaco is a narrow costal strip. Its physical geography includes a long beach which account for a vast part of Monaco's border, and steep cliffs that rise vertically upwards to heights of 206 ft above sea level.

Economy

climate climate Main article: Economy of Monaco One of Monaco's main sources of income is tourism; each year many are attracted to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major new construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbour. The Principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, non-polluting industries. The state has no income tax for individuals. The state retains monopolies in numerous sectors, including tobacco and the postal service. The telephone network used to be owned by the state. Now Monaco Telecom is 49% owned by Cable and Wireless, 45% by the state and 6% by Compagnie Monégasque de Banque, but is still a monopoly. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. The lack of personal income tax has led to a considerable number of wealthy "tax refugee" residents from European countries, who earn the majority of their income from activity outside Monaco; celebrities like Formula One drivers attract most of the attention but the majority of them are business people. In 2000 a [http://www.assemblee-nat.fr/rap-info/i2311-2.asp report] by French parliamentarians Arnaud Montebourg and Vincent Peillon alleged that Monaco has lax policies with respect to money laundering, including within its famed casino, and that the government of Monaco puts political pressure on the judiciary so that alleged crimes are not properly investigated. In response, the Government of Monaco ordered reports to OECD and the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering. These reports revealed most of these allegations to be untrue. Monaco is not a member of the European Union, but is very closely linked to it via a customs union with France and as such its currency is the same as France's: the euro. Monaco has acquired the right to mint euro coins with Monegasque designs on their national side. Monaco's major exports are ceramics, metal works, textiles, plastics, and instruments.

Demographics

euro coinsMain article: Demographics of Monaco Monaco has the largest police force and police presence in the world, both per capita and per area. Monaco's population is unusual in that the native Monegasques are a minority in their own country. The largest proportion of residents are French nationals (47%), while Monegasque and Italian nationals represent 16% each, and the remaining 21% belong to one of the other 125 nationalities that make up Monaco's international population. French is the only official language, but English, Italian, and the local Monegasque language (a descendant of Genoese) are also spoken. The literacy rate is 99%. Roman Catholicism is the official religion, with freedom of other religions guaranteed by the constitution.

Self-identity

On the occasion of his investiture in 2005, Prince Albert II [http://www.gouv.mc/304/wwwnew.nsf/1909$/5f6fb679535702dac125703e004f618cgb?OpenDocument&4Gb gave a speech] which "evoke[d] who we are":
- We are a community with its own values, which are similar to those of our neighbors but which have a special combination which sets us apart.
- We come from Liguria and Genoa. We are the children of Greece, Rome and Christendom: our Catholic, apostolic and Roman State religion is there to remind us.
- We adhere to the principles of Human Rights, fruit of the philosophical reflections of the age of Enlightenment of our French neighbors and friends and the countless reforms and improvements made by the European leaders to the functioning of the constitutional states and supranational institutions.
- We believe in both material progress but also in spiritual progress.
- We are supporters of free enterprise in the economic sector, a system which creates wealth.
- We also believe in the virtues of solidarity towards those who do not have the necessary learning, know how or personal ability needed to take the risks, to gain the autonomy and assume the responsibility which modern life implies.
- Our role is also to promote social justice which is absolutely essential.
- Monaco subscribes, as does the European Union, to the concept of a social market economy.
- We believe in the team made up of the innovator and the entrepreneur which enables progress in all its forms.
- If we do not respect these fundamental values, we cannot envisage progress.

Notes

¹ Macau, which is not sovereign, is more densely populated.

External links

- [http://www.gouv.mc/devwww/wwwnew.nsf/HomeGb Official website]
- [http://www.visitmonaco.com/ Official website for Tourism]
- [http://www.palais.mc/ Official website of the Prince's Palace of Monaco]
- [http://www.peterkurth.com/MONACO.htm In the House of Grimaldi], a reprint of a 1993 article from the author's personal website Category:European microstates Category:Principalities Category:Monarchies Category:Massalian colonies Category:Monacans zh-min-nan:Monaco ko:모나코 ms:Monaco ja:モナコ simple:Monaco th:ประเทศโมนาโก fiu-vro:Monaco

Postal services in Andorra

Postal services in Andorra are unique in that they are not operated by the Principality itself, but its two larger neighbouring countries, Spain and France. This is a legacy of the centuries of de facto control exercised by those two countries over Andorra. Today Correos y Telégrafos of Spain and La Poste of France operate side by side; Spanish post boxes being yellow and French ones being red. Both postal administrations issue their own postage stamps for use in Andorra - those of Spain and France are not valid. Andorran stamps feature unique designs, often featuring the country's two co-princes or joint heads of state, the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell in Spain. Mail to addresses within the Principality is delivered free of charge.

Introduction of Post Codes

Until 2004, Andorra had no post codes, but in that year, in cooperation with both countries' postal administrations, these were finally introduced, with each of the seven parish in the principality having its own post code, (or codi postal in Catalan).

Parish	Post Code
Canillo	AD100
Encamp	AD200
Ordino	AD300
La Massana	AD400
Andorra la Vella	AD500
Sant Julià de Lòria	AD600
Escaldes-Engordany	AD700

PO Box addresses require different post codes, ending in the digit '1', so, for example, a letter sent to a PO Box address in Andorra la Vella would require the post code AD501. Category:Andorra Category:Postal systems by country

Spain

The Kingdom of Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne d'Espanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma). To west (and, in Galicia, south), it borders Portugal. To south, it borders Gibraltar and Morocco. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in north Africa, and a number of uninhabited islands on the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar, known as Plazas de soberanía, such as the Chafarine islands, the "rocks" (peñones) of Vélez and Alhucemas, and the tiny Isla Perejil (disputed). In the Northeast along the Pyrenees, a small exclave town called Llívia in Catalonia is surrounded by French territory.

History

Main article: History of Spain

Prehistory

The aboriginal peoples of the Iberian peninsula, consisting of a number of separate tribes, are given the generic name of Iberians. This may have included the Basques, the only pre-Celtic people in Iberia surviving to the present day as a separate ethnic group. The most important culture of this period is that of the city of Tartessos. Beginning in the 9th century BC, Celtic tribes entered the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees and settled throughout the peninsula, becoming the Celtiberians. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries. Around 1,100 BC Phoenician merchants founded the trading colony of Gadir or Gades (modern day Cádiz) near Tartessos. In the 8th century BC the first Greek colonies, such as Emporion (modern Empúries), were founded along the Mediterranean coast on the East, leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians. The Greeks are responsible for the name Iberia, after the river Iber (Ebro in Spanish). In the 6th century BC the Carthaginians arrived in Iberia while struggling with the Greeks for control of the Western Mediterranean. Their most important colony was Carthago Nova (Latin name of modern day Cartagena).

Roman Empire

The Romans arrived in the Iberian peninsula during the Second Punic war in the 2nd century BC, and annexed it under Augustus after two centuries of war with the Celtic and Iberian tribes and the Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian colonies becoming the province of Hispania. It was divided in Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior during the late Roman Republic; and, during the Roman Empire, Hispania Taraconensis in the northeast, Hispania Baetica in the south and Lusitania in the southwest. Hispania supplied the Roman Empire with food, olive oil, wine and metal. The emperors Trajan, Hadrian and Theodosius I, the philosopher Seneca and the poets Martial and Lucan were born in Spain. The Spanish Bishops held the Council at Elvira in 306. Many of Spain's present languages, religion, and laws originate from this period.

Muslim Spain

Main articles: Al-Andalus and Reconquista In the 8th century, nearly all the Iberian peninsula, which had been under Visigothic rule, was quickly conquered (from 711), by Muslims (the Moors), who had crossed over from North Africa, as part of the conquests of the Christian kingdoms there by the religiously inspired Umayyad empire. Only three small counties in the north of Spain kept their independence: Asturias, Navarra and Aragon, which eventually became kingdoms. Very soon the Muslim emirate split into small kingdoms. Christian and Muslim kingdoms fought and allied among themselves, with the Christians driving the Moorish forces out of the northern most parts of the peninsula within a few decades. The Muslim taifa kings competed in patronage of the arts, and the Jewish population of Iberia set the basis of Sephardic culture. Much of Spain's distinctive art originates from this seven-hundred-year period, and many Arabic words made their way into Castilian (Spanish) and Catalan, and from them to other European languages. The Moorish capital was Córdoba, in the southern portion of Spain known as Andalucía. During the time of Arab occupation, large populations of Jews, Christians and Muslims living in close quarters, and at its peak some non-Muslims were appointed to high offices. Though its tolerance has been exaggerated and romanticised by 19th century scholars it did produce some real achievements. At

La Poste

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History

Geography

Demographics

Politics

Economy

See also

External links

Martinique

History

Politics

Subdivisions

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Culture

See also

Miscellaneous topics

External links and references

French Guiana

History

Politics

Geography

Economy

Demographics

See also

Further reading

External links

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

History

Politics

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Culture

Military

Miscellaneous topics

See also

External links

Community, culture and history

Travel and tourism

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Business

Other links

Metropolitan France

See also

Monaco

History

Politics

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Self-identity

Notes