Guadeloupe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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 departement (departement d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. As the other DOMs, Guadeloupe is also a region of France, and an integral part of the Republic.
| Region | Guadeloupe |
| Official language | French |
| Political status
| Non-sovereign, Overseas Department of France |
| Department Number | 971 |
| Prefecture | Basse-Terre |
| Sous-prefectures | Pointe-a-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 |
| Table of contents |
|
2 Politics 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Culture 7 Miscellaneous topics 8 External link |
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 developpement 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 Desirade, Iles des Saintes and Marie Galante.
Further to the north, Saint-Barthelemy 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 departement
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
Miscellaneous topics
External link
| Regions of France | |
|---|---|
| Alsace | Aquitaine | Auvergne | Lower Normandy | Burgundy | Brittany | Centre | Champagne-Ardenne | Corsica | Franche-Comte | Upper Normandy | Ile-de-France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Limousin | Lorraine | Midi-Pyrenees | Nord-Pas-de-Calais | Loire Region | Picardy | Poitou-Charentes | Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur | Rhone-Alpes | |
| Overseas Departments | |
| Guadeloupe | Martinique | French Guiana | Reunion | |