Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean Sea, is an archipelago with a total area of 1,704 km² located in the Eastern Caribbean.

Administratively speaking, Guadeloupe is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. As the other DOMs, Guadeloupe is also a région of France, and an integral part of the Republic.

Guadeloupe

Region	Guadeloupe
Official language	French
Political status	Non-sovereign, Overseas Department of France
Department Number	971
Préfecture	Basse-Terre
Sous-préfectures	Pointe-à-Pitre, Saint-Martin
Head of Regional Council	Victorin Lurel
Head of General Council	Jacques Gillot
Area  - Total  - % water	1,705 km² 4.2%
Population  - Total (2002)  - Density	436,000 245/km²
Currency	Euro
Time zone	UTC -4
Calling Code	590
Internet TLD	.gp

Contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Culture 7 See also 8 External links

History

Main article: History of Guadeloupe

The original inhabitants were Arawak Indians. In 1493 during his second trip to America Christopher Columbus was the first European who set foot on the soil of Guadeloupe. The French took possession of the island in 1635. The following century saw the development of an economy based on sugar and slavery of Africans or their descendants. Slavery was definitely abolished by decree of April 27, 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Guadeloupe

Geography

Main article: Geography of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe comprises five islands: Guadeloupe proper (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 .

Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint-Martin come under the juridiction of Guadeloupe. Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief whilst Grande-Terre features rolling hills and flat plains.

See also: Communes of the Guadeloupe département

Economy

Main article: Economy of Guadeloupe

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Guadeloupe

Culture

Main article: Culture of Guadeloupe

See also

• Music of Martinique and Guadeloupe
• Communications in Guadeloupe
• Transportation in Guadeloupe
• Military of Guadeloupe

External links

• Website of the prefecture of Guadeloupe http://www.guadeloupe.pref.gouv.fr/

Countries in West Indies
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago
Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Navassa Island | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands