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___ Guadeloupe

Pointe des Châteaux, Grande-Terre island, Guadeloupe
Pointe des Châteaux peninsula at the easternmost tip of Grande-Terre island, Guadeloupe.
Image: Patrice78500
 

Guadeloupe's locally used unofficial flag.

tricolore
Official Flag of Guadeloupe
is the French tricolore.


Location map of Guadeloupe. Where in the Caribbean is Guadeloupe?
Location map of Guadeloupe

satellite photo of Guadeloupe
Satellite image of Guadeloupe.
Image: NASA


Destination Guadeloupe, the French Caribbean tropical islands in the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean is situated just north of Dominica, and about 500 km (310 mi) southeast of Puerto Rico.

Guadeloupe includes the roughly butterfly shaped main islands Basse-Terre and Grande Terre, which are separated by a narrow sea channel, the Salée River. A number of smaller islands belong also to the insular region of France, altogether a group of seven islands (it were nine, but Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin island are since February 2007 no longer part of Guadeloupe).

The smaller islands are Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Îles des Saintes (Les Saints). The archipelago is situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.

With a total land area of about 1630 km², Guadeloupe is slightly smaller than two thirds of Luxembourg, or somewhat larger than half the size of Rhode Island. Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic in origin. Grande-Terre is a low lying limestone formation. Highest point is La Grande Soufrière, an active stratovolcano on the French island of Basse-Terre, at 1,467 m (4,813 ft).

Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France and therefore also part of the European Union. The department has a population of about 400,000 inhabitants (2014). Guadeloupe's capital is Basse-Terre. Largest city, main port, and economic capital is Pointe-à-Pitre official website on Grande Terre, just south of Guadeloupe's international airport Le Raizet. Spoken languages are French (official) almost all locals speak also Creole patois.


 

Guadeloupe | Departement de la Guadeloupe


Country Profile



Background:
Guadeloupe is an archipelago consisting of seven islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes, and Iles de la Petite Terre.

Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. In 1946 it became an overseas department of France. Formerly part of Guadeloupe was the northern portion the island of Saint Martin, named Saint Martin, now it is an overseas collectivity of France. The southern portion of the island is known as Sint Maarten and is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
 
 

Official Name:
Departement de la Guadeloupe
short form: Guadeloupe
int'l long form: Department of Guadeloupe

ISO Country Code: gp

Time:
Local Time = UTC -4h
Actual Time: Sun-Mar-17  17:20

Country Calling Code: +590

Capital City: Basse-Terre

Other Cities: Gosier, Gustavia, Petit Bourg, Pointe-à-Pitre, Sainte Anne, Saint-François

Government:
Overseas department of France.

Geography:
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico.
Area: 1,630 km² (629 sq mi)
Terrain: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin.

Climate: Subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity.

People:
Nationality: noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe
Population: 403,000 (2014)
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: 90%

Natural resources: arable land, beaches and a climate that foster tourism.

Agriculture products: Bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats.

Industries: Construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism.

Currency: Euro (EUR)
Building of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe
Building of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe.
Image: Guadeloupe Tourism

Political system
Guadeloupe is a French-administered territory, an overseas region with one department. In general, French laws and regulations apply to French overseas regions the same as in mainland France.
Chief of state of Guadeloupe is the French President represented by a Prefect. Heads of government are the President of the General Council and the President of the Departmental Council.
The Legislative branch consists of the unicameral General Council (Conseil général) and the unicameral Regional Council (Conseil régional).
Overseas regions have identical powers to those of the regions of metropolitan France, but they are not empowered to make their own laws.


Official Sites of Guadeloupe

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Conseil Général de la Guadeloupe
Official website of Guadeloupe's General Council (in French).

Préfecture de la Région Guadeloupe
Official information site for the Region Guadeloupe (in French).

Ministère de l'Outre-Mer
Site of the French ministry for the overseas territories.

Diplomatic Missions
Directory of French representations abroad (in French)
List of French diplomatic missions around the world.
Foreign Embassies and Consulates in France
Address list of Diplomatic Missions accredited in France.

Weather
Meteo Antilles


Maps

Map of Guadeloupe
Map of the Guadeloupe archipelago.
Google Earth Google Earth Guadeloupe
Searchable map and satellite view of Guadeloupe.
Google Earth Google Earth Basse-Terre
Searchable map and satellite view of Guadeloupe's capital.

Political Map of the Caribbean
Political map of the island territories in the Caribbean Sea.
Map of Central America and the Caribbean
Reference Map of Central America and the Caribbean. 


 

News


France-Antilles
Guadeloupe news (in French)

Daily Herald
St. Martin newspaper.

l'Actualité de la commune de Baie Mahault
Local news of Baie Mahault. (in French)

Radio
Radio Caraibes International
News from French Caribbean. (in French)

Radio Saint Barth
Guadeloupe radio station based on St. Barthélemy.

TV
France Télévisions Guadeloupe
Public TV station.
 

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Arts & Culture

Arts and Culture of Guadeloupe is a blend of African-Caribbean, French, and East Indian influences. The cultural mixture becomes most evident in the unique Creole cuisine, the annual carnival, and the widely spoken local Creole language.

BondaManjak
Guadeloupe and Martinique news and events. (in French)
 
Port of Gustavia on St. Barthélemy
Port of Gustavia on St. Barthélemy
Photo: Michel Hasson

Business & Economy

Guadeloupe's economy is based primarily on tourism (the key industry), and agriculture (bananas, sugarcane, and flowers), there is some light industry (sugar and rum production), and services.
The island region is dependent on mainland France for subsidies and imports (fuel, manufactured goods like food, French perfumes, cosmetics, wine, and cheese).

Institut d'Émission d'Outre-Mer (IEDOM)
Institute of the French Central Bank for the Overseas departments (in French).

Antilles Info Business Guadeloupe
Business andEconomy of Guadeloupe (in French)

Archipel Guadeloupe Info
A business directory.


Transportation
Air Caraïbes
Serves destinations in the French Caribbean based in Pointe-à-Pitre.
Air Antilles Express
Regional airline based in Pointe-à-Pitre.

Aéroport Guadeloupe Pôle Caraïbes
Web site of Guadeloupe's airport in Pointe-à-Pitre.

 
 
Beach of Grande Anse near Deshaies, with view of the tip of Gros Morne.
Basse Terre, Beach of Grande Anse towards south, the beach is two kilometers north of the town of Deshaies, with the view of the tip of the Gros Morne hill.
Image: LPLT

Destination Guadeloupe - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Guadeloupe: Grande Terre, Basse Terre, Marie Galante, Les Saintes (Terre de Haut and Terre de Bas), La Désirade, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy (St. Barths)

Find accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, and much more.

Tourist Board of the Guadeloupe islands
Official travel and tourism information by Tourist Board Council of the Guadeloupe Islands.

Guadeloupe Islands
Guadeloupe tourism information in English.

Antilles Info Tourisme Guadeloupe
Comprehensive travel and tourism information by Antilles Info.

Office du Tourisme de Marie-Galante
Tourist Board presents the island of Marie-Galante.

Région Guadeloupe
Official website of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe (in French)

Cities:
Le Moule
The municipality of Le Moule.
Office du Tourisme du Moule
Tourism office of the Le Moule municipality.
Municipalité de Saint-François
The municipality of Saint-François.
St Barths
A Visitor's Guide to St. Barthélemy.
Saint-Barthélemy
The municipality of St. Barthélemy (in French)
Photothèque St-Barthélemy
Images of St. Barthélemy by Michel Hasson.

Guadeloupe Islands


Saint-Jean
Saint-Jean, Guadeloupe - Photo: Michel Hasson

Education


Académie de la Guadeloupe
The Academy of the Guadeloupe (in French).
 
 
Parrots at Parc des Mamelles, the Zoological and botanical garden in Basse Terre
Parrots at Parc des Mamelles (Zoological and botanical garden), Basse Terre city.
Image: Nicolas Loison

Environment & Nature


Parc national de la Guadeloupe
Official website of Guadeloupe's national parks (in French).
Réserve du Grand Cul de Sac marin
The maritim nature reserve Gran Cul-de-sac (in French).
Observatoire Volcanologique et Sismologique de Guadeloupe
Provides information on Guadeloupe's active volcanos (in French).
Office National des Forêts Guadeloupe
About Guadeloupe's flora.

Eastern Caribbean Coalition for Environmental Awareness
Overall objective of ECCA's programme is to strengthen regional initiatives within the Eastern Caribbean, promote community based nature and heritage tourism, environmental education and to improve the conservation of island ecosystems.
 
 

History


History of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe's history from its discovery until today. (Wikipedia entry)
 
 

Sources and additional Information on Guadeloupe


BBC Country Profile: Guadeloupe

LANIC: Guadeloupe
Latin American Network Information Center.

Wikipedia: Guadeloupe


 
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Major Cities in the Caribbean:
Basse-Terre, Basseterre, Bridgetown, Castries, Charlotte Amalie, Fort-de-France, Hamilton, Havana, Kingston, Kingstown, Nassau, Oranjestad, Port-au-Prince, Port-of-Spain, Roseau, Saint George's, Saint John's, Saint Martin, San Juan, Santo Domingo, The Valley, Willemstad

Other Countries and Territories in the Caribbean
Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | British Virgin Islands | Cuba | Dominica
Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Martinique | Montserrat | Netherlands Antilles
Puerto Rico
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Trinidad and Tobago
| U.S. Virgin Islands
 
 
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