Guadeloupe

Région Guadeloupe
Flag of Guadeloupe	Logo of Guadeloupe
(Region flag)	(Region logo)
Location
Administration
Capital	Basse-Terre
Regional President	Victorin Lurel (PS) (since 2004)
Departments	Guadeloupe
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	43
Communes	34
Statistics
Land area1	1,702 km²
Population	(Ranked 23rd)
- January 1, 2006 est.	ca. 405,000
- March 8, 2006 census	ca. 452,776
- Density (2006)	249/km²
1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers

Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi). It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union; hence its currency is the euro. Guadeloupe is however not party to the Schengen Agreement.

Geography

Map of the Guadeloupe archipelago

Guadeloupe is a group of islands situated among the Leeward Islands or the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean Sea and comprises five islands: Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, La Desirade, Les Saintes, and Marie-Galante. Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin once came under the jurisdiction of Guadeloupe but on December 7, 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas territorial collectivity. [1]
The neighbouring islands to Guadaluope are Antigua to the north, Montserrat to the northwest, and Dominica to the south. Guadeloupe's political capital is Basse-Terre located in the southernwest coast of Basse-Terre Island. The largest urban town in Grande-Terre is Pointe-à-Pitre.

In green (with red legend) are the former constituent parts of the Guadeloupe region/department among the Leeward Islands. On February 22, 2007, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy seceded from Guadeloupe, but Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and Les Saintes are still part of the Guadeloupe region/department.

Topography

Gaudalupe's two largest islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, are similar to the shape of a butterfly and are divided by a narrow mangrove channel called Rivière Salée. Basse-Terre, the western island, is mountainous and volcanic; its highest peak, La Soufrière 4812 ft (1467 m), erupted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and is still active. Grande-Terre, the eastern island, is flat and is composed of limestone on its outer surface because the island was submerged under water in earlier geological periods. Marie-Galante and La Désirade are also limestone. They are flat dessert-like islands. Les Saintes is comprised of eight islands and only two are inhabited: Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas. Les Saintes' typical landscape is composed of volcanic hills and deep bays.

Climate

Guadeloupe's mean temperature at the flatter islands is 88°F (31°C); at the higher elevations it is 74°F (23°C). Basse-Terre Island is cooler and rainier than Grande-Terre. At first, the names given to the two larger islands makes no sense. The eastern island is small and flat, but is named Grande-Terre which means 'big island'. On the other hand, the western island is mountainous, but is named Basse-Terre which means 'flat island'. The reason of this is that the names were not meant to describe the terrain, but the winds that blow over them.

Fauna and Flora

Guadeloupe's vegetation is very diverse due to its topography. Basse-Terre is a contrast of bamboos, mangrove swamps, and abundant forest trees, such as gums and chesnut trees. The forest has thick fern, flowering heliconia, and ginger plants. The flatter islands are mostly dry and have a predominant presence of cactus. The main birds found in Guadeloupe are pelicans, hummingbirds, and the endangered Guadeloupean wren. Other two endangered species are the green sea turtle, and the leatherback turtle. There are raccoons, mongooses, agoutis( looks a bit like a guinea pig), and iguanas.

History

Natives

Guadeloupe was first settled by Arawak Indians from Venezuela about 300 B.C.E., who fished and developed agriculture on the island. Carib Indians, also from Venezuela, pushed out most of the Arawak in the 8th century, and overran this agricultural and fishing community. The Caribs renamed the island "Karukera" or the "Island of beautiful waters".

Discovery and Settlement

Guadeloupe was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second trip to the Americas in 1493. He called it Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura, after the image of the Virgin Mary venerated at the Spanish monastery of Villuercas, in Guadalupe, Extremadura. The Spanish made two attempts to settle Guadeloupe in the 1500s, but because of the fierceness of the Caribs the Spanish abandoned their claim of the islands.

After three decades, the French American Islands Company delegated Charles Liénard and Jean Duplessis, Lord of Ossonville, to colonize one or any of the region’s islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique or Dominica. Due to Martinique’s inhospitable nature, the duo resolved to settle in Guadeloupe. The French took possession of the island on June 28, 1635. They drove out many of the Carib amerindians, planted crops and built the first sugar mill. By this time, in 1674, Guadeloupe was annexed to the kingdom of France and a slave-based plantation was established.

First British Seizure

Over the next century, the island was seized several times by the British. For example, Guadeloupe was occupied by the British between 1759 and 1763 and during this time Pointe-à-Pitre was developed into a major harbor where the planters were allowed to export sugar and import North American lumber and food. Many French colonists actually grew wealthier under the British occupation and the economy expanded rapidly. Another indication of Guadeloupe's prosperity at this time was that in the Treaty of Paris (1763), France, defeated in war, agreed to forfeit its territorial claims in Canada in return for British recognition of French control of Guadeloupe^{[citation needed]}.

1789's French Revolution - Monarchists and Republicans

In 1790, the upper classes of Guadeloupe refused to obey the new laws requiring equal rights for the free and attempted to declare independence, resulting in great disturbances; a fire broke out in Pointe-à-Pitre and devastated a third of the town, and a struggle between the monarchists (who wanted independence) and the republicans (who were faithful to revolutionary France) ended in the victory of the monarchists, who declared independence in 1791, followed by the refusal to receive the new governor appointed by Paris in 1792.

Second British Seizure

In 1794, the British invaded Guadeloupe again and the French sent a contingent of soldiers guided by Victor Hugues who freed and armed the Guadeloupean slaves. Eventually, the British withdrew, but Victor Hugues took advantage of the situation and killed 300 royalists and plantation owners. Hugues is best known for authorizing privateers to attack shipping through the Caribbean, which brought great wealth to the island. With an army composed of White, Mulatto and ex-slave soldiers, Hugues worked to export the revolution to neighboring islands, including Dominica, Saint Martin, la Grenada, Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia. American interests were thretened creating tensions between France and the United States. Thus, the USA declared war on France. At this point France sent General Richepance to Guadeloupe to restore the status quo. He succeeded inmediately and re-established slavery. Louis Delgrès and a group of revolutionary soldiers killed themselves on the slopes of the Matouba volcano when it became obvious that the invading troops would take control of the island. The occupation force killed approximately 10,000 Guadeloupeans in the process of restoring order to the island.

Third British Seizure

In 1810, the British once again seized the island and held it until 1813, when it was ceded to Sweden as a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars. Sweden already had a colony in the area, but only a year later Sweden left the island to France in the Treaty of Paris of 1814. An ensuing settlement between Sweden and the British gave rise to the Guadeloupe Fund. French control of Guadeloupe was finally acknowledged in the Treaty of Vienna in 1815.

Slavery Abolished

Slavery was abolished on the island in 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher. After black slaves were permanently emancipated, the plantation owners on Guadeloupe faced terrible economic hardships because they had to start paying wages to their workers. Workers from China and India came in to replace the freed African slaves. The Asian workers were called Coolies, and having to pay these workers for their efforts helped to cause the economic downfall of many planters on Guadeloupe. Several planting estates were bought out by foreign companies in the late 19th century.

Today's People

The harsh economic conditions on Guadeloupe caused much social unrest among the island's people, and several revolts and strikes by workers occurred during this period of economic depression. In response to Guadeloupe's stagnating economic situation, island officials began to diversify the economy so the region wouldn't be forced to rely solely on growing sugarcane to survive in the marketplace. Sugarcane, in fact, became an increasing drain because of high labor costs. After the second World War, farmers on the island began producing crops such as pineapples, bananas, and rice to subsidize the economy. Today, bananas and sugar are still Guadeloupe's main exported products. Today the population of Guadeloupe is mostly of African origin with an important European and Indian active population. Lebanese, Chinese, and people of many other origins are also present.

Politics

Government

Guadeloupe became an overseas department in 1946. Guadeloupe, as part of France, is part of the European Union. Its head of state is the President of the French Republic, who appoints a Prefect (resident at the Prefecture building in Basse-Terre) as his representative. Guadeloupe constitution is the French Constitution of the twenty-eight of September of 1958, and its legal system is the French legal system. Guadeloupe is represented in the French parliament by two senates in the French Senate and four deputies of representatives in the French National Assembly. The legislative branch is composed of an unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and an unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms). The judicial branch is composed of two courts: A Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel, and An Assize Court or "Cour d'assises" (3 judges and a popular jury) judging people accused of felonies. These courts are both in Basse-Terre with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique.

Military

There is no regular military forces in Guedeloupe. Defense is the responsibility of France.

Administrative divisions

There are two arrondissements: Basse-Terre and Pointe-à-Pitre. Pointe-à-Pitre arrondissement consists of Grande-Terre, La Désirade, Marie-Galante Island, and Îles de la Petite Terre. Basse-Terre arrondissement consists of Basse-Terre, and the Îles des Saintes. There are fourty cantons:

Arrondissement of Basse-Terre (17 cantons)

1. Baie-Mahault
2. Basse-Terre 1st Canton
3. Basse-Terre 2nd Canton
4. Bouillante
5. Capesterre-Belle-Eau 1st Canton
6. Capesterre-Belle-Eau 2nd Canton
7. Gourbeyre
8. Goyave
9. Lamentin
10. Petit-Bourg
11. Pointe-Noire
12. Saint-Claude
13. Sainte-Rose 1st Canton
14. Sainte-Rose 2nd Canton
15. Les Saintes
16. Trois-Rivières
17. Vieux-Habitants

Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre (23 cantons)

1. Les Abymes 1st Canton
2. Les Abymes 2nd Canton
3. Les Abymes 3rd Canton
4. Les Abymes 4th Canton
5. Les Abymes 5th Canton
6. Anse-Bertrand
7. Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante
8. La Désirade
9. Le Gosier 1st Canton
10. Le Gosier 2nd Canton
11. Grand-Bourg
12. Morne-à-l'Eau 1st Canton
13. Morne-à-l'Eau 2nd Canton
14. Le Moule 1st Canton
15. Le Moule 2nd Canton
16. Petit-Canal
17. Pointe-à-Pitre 1st Canton
18. Pointe-à-Pitre 2nd Canton
19. Pointe-à-Pitre 3rd Canton
20. Sainte-Anne 1st Canton
21. Sainte-Anne 2nd Canton
22. Saint-François
23. Saint-Louis

View from Guadeloupe

Economy

Carbet Falls

File:Aéroport Guadeloupe.jpg

Guadeloupe International Airport

Agriculture and Tourism

The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, light industry and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports.

Guadeloupe used to be primarily dependent on the growth and exportation of sugarcane, but when the sugar market became less profitable, the French island was forced to concentrate its efforts on other cash crops such as bananas, which bring in approximately 50 percent of the island's export earnings. Other moneymakers in the agricultural industry include crops such as eggplant, coffee, cocoa, and many varieties of flowers which are grown along the island's coast. Other local crops are guinnep, noni, sapotilla, paroka, pikinga, giraumon squash, yam, gourd, plantain, christophine, monbin, prunecafé, jackfruit, and pomegranate. Many of the region's self-sufficient residents grow their own small crops for their families. Rum production and exportation is also part of Guadeloupe's agricultural economy. Most manufactured goods, such as foods, fuels, vehicles, clothing, and construction materials are imported, mainly from France, but from other countries as well. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy.

Now, tourism is the main economic industry on Guadeloupe followed by the agriculture and service industries. Most tourists who visit the island come from the United States, but travelers come from all over to lounge on Guadeloupe's beautiful beaches and experience all that the French island has to offer. The number of cruise ships that dock on the island's port of call has been increasing in recent years, making cruise ship tourism a growing market on Guadeloupe.

Transportation

Guadeloupe Pole Caraïbes Airport, north of Pointe-à-Pitre, is an international airport used by French, U.S., Canadian, British, and Dutch airlines. France has the best air connection with Guadeloupe, with several local and international carriers flying directly between Paris and Point-à-Pitre. Canadian and American travellers can fly directly on Air France or Air Canada; those taking other carriers must connect at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Several carriers fly between Guadeloupe and other Caribbean islands: Air Martinique and Air Guadeloupe fly between Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France on Martinique, while Antigua-based LIAT connects Guadeloupe with the English-speaking Caribbean. There's no departure tax. There is a secondary airport on Marie-Galante. Flying between the islands is faster but not necessarily more convenient. Air Caraïbes has daily flights between Pointe-à-Pitre and Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Terre-de-Haut.

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. Getting between Guadeloupe and its associated islands is easiest by ferry. There's service between Pointe-à-Pitre and Les Saintes, Saint-François, Trois-Rivières and Marie-Galante. There are also ferry routes between Saint-François and Marie-Galante and La Désirade.

Guadeloupe has a good public bus system that operates from early morning to early evening, with fairly frequent service on main routes. On Sunday, service is much lighter and there are no buses on most secondary routes. Taxis are plentiful but expensive.

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. Vehicles drive on the right. Drivers are skillful but, as in most of the world, everyone seems to be in a hurry and tailgating is common. When entering roundabouts (traffic circles), always yield to others and stay to the right until you see your exit. If you have a specific appointment, always allow extra time for slow moving trucks or groups of bicyclists (cycling is a major sport on the island), since many roads are only two lanes . Traffic rules and signage are the same as in France.

Bicycles, scooters and motorbikes are also an option, but given the unfamiliar terrain and the volume of traffic in Guadeloupe, 2 wheel riders are recommended only for the most experienced. Motorcycles can be fun on Terre-de-Haut and Marie-Galante, since there are few autos on the road.

Education

French is the medium of instruction. Unlike many poorer Caribbean nations, Guadeloupe advocates for education. 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. Many students pursue higher education opportunities in France, which is economically feasible solely due to Guadeloupe's national status. Guadeloupe has a 90 percent literacy rate.

Demographics

(July 2006 estimates from the CIA World Factbook; note that these estimates disagree with official INSEE estimates and that they also include Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy)

Guadeloupe's population of 452,777 (July 2006 est.), most of whom live in Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre.

French censuses do not record ethnicity, so estimates of the percentages of Guadeloupe ethnic composition vary.

Guadeloupeans Creoles (People of primarily African heritage mixed with some French ancestry) are the largest ethnic group. Generally the Black/Mulatto population is judged at about 90% of the total population. Roughly 11% are Europeans, the vast majority of whom are French.

The main Asian communities are the Tamil/East Indians 9%, Libanese/Syrians 3%, and the Chinese 2%. There are also smaller groups from various Caribbean islands, mainly Saint Lucia.

The predominant religion in this region is Roman Catholicism 91%, Protestants 5%, Hindu/African 4%, and Jehovah's Witness 2%.

Culture

Beach in Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe's culture is probably best known for the islanders' literary achievements, particularly the poetry of Saint-John Perse, the pseudonym used by Alexis Léger. Perse won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the soaring flight and the evocative images of his poetry which in a visionary fashion reflects the conditions of our time."

Guadeloupe has always had a rich literary production prolonged today by many living writers, poets, novelists, essayists and journalists, among them Maryse Condé, Ernest Pépin and Simone Schwartz-Bart.

Also culturally important are the arts, particularly painting and sculpture. Famous painters and/or sculptors include Michel Rovelas, Claudie Cancellier, Jean-Claude Echard, Christian Bracy, Roger Arekian, les Frères Baptiste, Michelle Chomereau-Lamothe, Léogane, Pédurand, Nicole Réache, Victor Sainsily. Photographer and visual effects artist Karim Sahai of Weta Digital, New-Zealand, has worked on the visual effects of The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, X-Men, etc.

Music and dance are also very popular, and the widely accepted interaction of African, French and Indian cultures has given birth to some original new forms specific to the archipelago. Islanders enjoy many local dance styles including the quadrille "au commandement," zouk, zouk-love, toumbélé, as well as all the modern international dances. Typical Guadeloupean music includes la biguine and gwo ka à la base. Many international festivals take place in Guadeloupe, like the Creole Blues Festival, the Marie-Galante Festival, Festival Gwo-Ka Cotellon, etc. It goes without saying that all the Euro-French forms of art are also omnipresent in the melting pot.

Another element of the Guadeloupean culture is its dress. Women in particular have a unique style of traditional dresses, with many layers of colorful fabrics, now only worn on special occasions. On festive occasions they also wore a madras (originally the 'kerchief' from South India) head scarf tied in many different symbolic forms. The headdress could be done in many styles with names like the "bat" style, or the "firefighter" style, as well as the "Guadeloupean woman." Jewelry is also important, mainly of gold, in the Guadeloupean lady's dress, a product of European, African and Indian inspiration. Many famous couturiers like Devaed or Mondelo are Guadeloupeans.

Football (soccer) is popular in Guadeloupe. Thierry Henry, a star of the French National Team and Spanish League club FC Barcelona, often visits, as his father Antoine was originally from the island. Lilian Thuram, a star football defender for France and FC Barcelona, was born in Guadeloupe. The French national team and Manchester United striker, Louis Saha, is also of Guadeloupean descent as is Swansea City goalkeeper Willy Gueret. The region's football team also experienced recent success, advancing all the way to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals, where they were slightly defeated 1-0 by CONCACAF powerhouse, Mexico. Many valuable track and field athletes, such as Marie-José Perec, Patricia Girard-Léno and Christine Arron, are also Guadeloupe natives.

External links

• Préfecture de la région Guadeloupe - Official site of the prefecture of Guadeloupe (in French)
• Région Guadeloupe - Official site of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe
• Les Îles de Guadeloupe - Official site of the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board
• Office du Tourisme de Marie-Galante - Official site of the Tourist Board of Marie-Galante
• Office Municipal du Tourisme de Terre de Haut, Les Saintes - Official site of the Tourist Board of Les Saintes
• Office du Tourisme du Moule - Official site of the Tourist Board of Le Moule
• Guadeloupe Islands - site of the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board
• Bouillante - site of Bouillante Tourism Board

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