officially Department of Guadeloupe, French Département de la Guadeloupe, overseas département of France, a group of islands in the Lesser Antilles chain in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The nearest neighbours of the principal islands are the British dependency of Montserrat to the northwest and the republic of Dominica to the south. The island of Martinique, also a French overseas département, lies about 74 miles to the south. The main territory of Guadeloupe consists of the twin islands of Basse-Terre to the west and Grande-Terre to the east, the two being separated by a narrow channel, the Salée River; other islands in the group are Marie-Galante to the southeast, La Désirade to the east, and Saintes Islands (Terre d'en Haut and Terre d'en Bas) to the south. Two more island dependencies—Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin (the southern third of which is administered by The Netherlands as Sint Maarten)—are situated about 150 miles to the northwest, lying to the northwest of the outer arc of the Lesser Antilles. The total area of Guadeloupe is 687 square miles (1,780 square kilometres). Basse-Terre, on the island of the same name, is the seat of government. The largest urban area, however, centres around Pointe-à-Pitre on Grande-Terre, the chief port and economic hub of Guadeloupe. Physical and human geographyThe land Relief and drainageBasse-Terre, which has an area of 364 square miles, has a chain of mountains running north to south and culminating in Soufrière, a volcano 4,813 feet (1,467 metres) high; it erupted in 1797, 1837, and 1976 and is now a source of hot springs and sulfur springs. Other summits of note are the 4,442-foot Mount Sans Toucher and the 4,143-foot Mount de la Grande Découverte. The mountain chain forms a watershed from which rivers run down to the sea. The principal river on the island is the Goyaves; other rivers are the Grande Plaine, the Petite Plaine, the Moustique, the Lézarde, and the Rose. Basse-Terre has a beautiful coastline, indented with bays and fringed with picturesque beaches. Grande-Terre has an area of 220 square miles and is generally low-lying; it has only a few bluffs higher than 490 feet. Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy are rugged and rise to an altitude of 1,391 feet and 921 feet, respectively. ClimateThe tropical climate is tempered by the northeast trade winds. The temperature on the coast varies between 77° and 82° F (25° and 28° C), with extremes of 68° and 93° F (20° and 34° C). In the mountains above 1,900 feet the temperature may drop to 61° F (16° C), and at the summit of Soufrière to 39° F (4° C). There are two distinct seasons—the “Creole Lent,” or dry season, from December to April, and winter, or rainy season, from July to September–October. Precipitation varies with altitude and orientation. Grande-Terre receives approximately 39 inches (990 millimetres) of rain a year, while the mountainous parts of Basse-Terre receive more than 100 inches. Hurricanes occur occasionally, in most cases coming from the south. Plant and animal lifeThe heat, rainfall, and fertility of the volcanic soils produce a luxuriant vegetation diversified according to altitude. About two-fifths of the islands' area is covered by forests, most of this on Basse-Terre. Extensive mangrove swamps cover the banks of the Salée River. Dense forest grows in the mountainous regions of Basse-Terre, beginning almost at sea level on the windward slopes and at altitudes of about 750 to 3,000 feet or more on the leeward side. There chestnut trees and bracken are found, as well as such hardwoods as mahogany and ironwood. On the highest peaks some flooded basins produce a vegetation of grasses and sedges. Grande-Terre, cleared of most of its original forests, has only a few patches of woodland. The smaller islands, such as La Désirade and Saint-Martin, have a different type of vegetation, consisting primarily of dry forest with groves of latania (a kind of fan palm) and cactus. Animal life has been modified since colonization. Raccoons are sought for their fur. The agouti (a short-haired, short-eared, rabbitlike rodent) still inhabits the heights of Capesterre, southeast of Basse-Terre. In some regions, wild ducks, waterfowl, and teal are found. The warmth of the water around the islands is responsible for a rich variety of marine life, including lobster, crab, octopus, tarpon, snook (a basslike kind of fish), hogfish, snapper, parrot fish, and many species of ray fish. The peopleThe population is composed principally of Creoles (i.e., persons born in the islands), most of whom are mulatto, but on Saintes Islands the inhabitants are mainly white. The largest minorities are the black and French-Amerindian groups. The white population greatly declined during the period of the French Revolution. On the smaller islands, whites are mostly descended from 17th-century Norman and Breton settlers. While French is the official language, a local creole dialect is also widely spoken. The majority of people are Roman Catholic. Guadeloupe's population has a low rate of natural increase compared to other West Indian islands. Its birth and death rates are lower than the Caribbean average but about the same as those of its French counterpart, Martinique. The vast majority of the population resides on the two largest islands; Marie-Galante is the next most populous island, followed by Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Saintes Islands, and La Désirade. The islanders' standard of living is among the highest in the eastern Caribbean. The economyThe economy is marked by a slow-growing agricultural sector, an embryonic industrial sector, a growing tourism sector, and a highly developed public service sector. In effect, the economy is sustained primarily by the salaries of officials and by French credits, which consist of aid in the form of allocations and grants. Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange. Agriculture and industryBananas and sugarcane form the principal cash crops; coffee, vanilla, and cacao are also grown. The banana plantations suffered from a series of hurricanes in the 1960s, but the plantations were replanted with more productive types of trees. The cultivation of fresh vegetables, coconuts, pineapples, limes, mangoes, flowers, and coffee is increasingly important. Eggplants and flowers are chiefly grown for export. Most of the small fish catch is exported. An industrial zone and a free port have been developed at Jarry, near Pointe-à-Pitre. Industry is involved mostly in the processing of agricultural products, especially sugar refining and rum making. TradeThere is a severe deficit in the balance of external trade, most of which is with France and the Franc Zone. Most imports are consumer goods. Most of the banana crop and raw sugar are exported to France. Rum, coffee, cocoa, and vanilla also are exported. TransportationGuadeloupe maintains regular air and sea links with France and with the North American continent. The port of Pointe-à-Pitre is equipped to handle cargoes of minerals, sugar, and cereals. The port of Basse-Terre specializes in the banana export trade. Le Raizet, north of Pointe-à-Pitre, is an international airport used by French, U.S., British, and Dutch airlines. There is a secondary airport on Marie-Galante. On the island of Saint-Martin, the town of Marigot, the capital of the French portion of the island, is an important port; the Juliana International Airport, west of Philipsburg in the Dutch sector, serves both parts of the island. Local steamers connect Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre with the other island dependencies. The road system on the main islands is kept in excellent condition. Except for some privately owned plantation lines, there are no railways in Guadeloupe. Administration and social conditionsGovernmentThe département is under the executive authority of a commissioner appointed by the French government; there is an elected legislative council. Guadeloupe sends representatives to both the French National Assembly and the French Senate. Since 1974 Guadeloupe has had the status of a full région of France. The territory of Guadeloupe is divided into three arrondissements, which are in turn divided into 34 communes, each administered by an elected municipal council. JusticeThe judicial system is French. There are a court of appeal at Basse-Terre, two higher courts (grande instance), and four lower courts (tribunaux d'instance). Justices of the peace are established in each of the cantons. EducationFrench is the medium of instruction. In addition to primary schools, there are lycées (secondary schools) as well as a teacher-training college. A school of humanities, a law and economics school, a school of medicine, and a school of science at Pointe-à-Pitre are part of the University of the Antilles and Guyana. Health and welfareThe same social legislation is in effect as in metropolitan France. There is a general hospital at Pointe-à-Pitre, as well as a Pasteur Institute and a number of other hospitals and clinics. Cultural lifeCultural affairs are developed through the Ministry of Culture. Folk culture is of considerable significance, and colourful native costumes, including the unique madras et foulard, may still be seen on holidays. Celebrations, particularly the annual carnival, feature Creole music and folk dances, such as the beguine. A number of museums are located in the major cities. Several newspapers are printed on the islands, and radio and television are broadcast daily. HistoryVisited on Nov. 4, 1493, by Christopher Columbus, the two main islands, then together known as Karukera (Island of Beautiful Waters), were peopled by Caribs, who had displaced the original Arawak inhabitants. The territory was consecrated to Our Lady of Guadalupe of Extremadura in Spain, from whom it takes its name. French rulePreliminary attempts by the Spanish to establish themselves were repulsed by the Caribs in 1515, 1520, and 1523. In 1626 the Spanish, who had established themselves on the coast, were driven away by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, a Frenchman who established a trading company. In 1635 two Frenchmen, Léonard de L'Olive and Jean Duplessis d'Ossonville, landed and established a colony. Until 1640 the colonists fought against the Carib Indians, but thereafter the colony prospered. Four chartered companies were ruined in successive attempts to colonize Guadeloupe, and in 1674 it passed to the French crown, becoming a dependency of Martinique, which it remained until 1775. Guadeloupe benefited from the influence of Jean-Baptiste Labat (1663 to 1738), a strong personality who was the effective founder of the Basse-Terre colony and who in 1703 armed the African slaves (who had already been brought to the island) in order that they might fight against the English; he also established the first sugar refineries, thereby laying the foundations for the era of prosperity that followed. In 1759 Guadeloupe was occupied by the British for four years but was restored to France in 1763. In 1794 it was again occupied by British troops, allied with French royalists, but was recaptured by Victor Hugues, an official of the French revolutionary government, who proclaimed the abolition of slavery and had several hundred white planters massacred. When slavery was reestablished by Napoleon's government in 1802, a revolt of the slaves occurred and culminated in the heroic act of the antislavery forces, who blew themselves up at Matouba when threatened by French forces under the command of General Antoine Richepanse; Richepanse himself had been sent by Napoleon to pacify Guadeloupe, but he died of yellow fever in the same year. The British occupied Guadeloupe in 1810; however, after some changes in status, it was restored to France in 1816. The abolition of slavery in 1848 was the most significant development of the territory's 19th-century history. Universal suffrage was abolished during the reign of Napoleon III of France, but in 1870 colonial representation in the French Parliament was restored. In 1940 Guadeloupe gave its allegiance to the Vichy government of Nazi-occupied France, but in 1943 it adhered to General Charles de Gaulle's Free French forces. In 1946 it was given the status of a French département, and in 1974 it became a région of France. Political and economic changes since World War IIGuadeloupe has had several independence movements since the end of World War II, but the charismatic appeals of de Gaulle, who visited the island in 1956, 1960, and 1964, managed to sidestep the separatists and convince the majority to stay within the French union. More local control has been granted the island since the 1960s, but, as progress on the autonomy talks slowed to a standstill in the 1970s, the separatist groups became increasingly violent. Several bombings were committed in Paris by Guadeloupe independence groups. Despite further acts of violence in the 1980s by these groups and their gains in local government, the French government reiterated its determination to maintain département status for Guadeloupe. The lack of economic improvement, however, provided some stimulus to independence groups. |