Pointe-à-Pitre

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Pointe-à-Pitre (pwăNtäpē´trə), city (1999 pop. 20,948), Guadeloupe, West Indies. It is on Grande-Terre island at the southern entrance of the Rivière Salée, the narrow, shallow ocean channel that separates Basse-Terre island from Grande-Terre. Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city and leading port in the department. Its chief exports are bananas, sugar, and rum.