Guadeloupe, pronounced gwahd uhl OOP, is a group of islands in the West Indies. It forms an overseas department (administrative district) of France. It consists of two main islands separated by a narrow sea channel, a small island group called Iles des Saintes, and five small islands. It covers about 687 square miles (1,780 square kilometers). The larger of the main islands is called Guadeloupe, or Basse-Terre, and the other is Grande-Terre. The small islands are Marie-Galante, Desirade, St.-Barthelemy, the northern part of St. Martin, and Petite-Terre. The town of Basse-Terre is the capital. See BASSE-TERRE.
Guadeloupe has a population of about 345,000. Most of the people are of mixed black and white ancestry. A group of descendants of the original Norman and Breton settlers lives in the Iles des Saintes group. French is the official language, but many people speak a mixture of African words and French called patois. Guadeloupe has a hot, humid climate from June to December. But steady winds tend to moderate the heat. The islands have cooler, drier weather from January to May.
Most people in Guadeloupe are employed in service industries. But agriculture is the chief source of income for the islands. Leading farm products include bananas, cocoa, coffee, and sugar cane. Rum is distilled and exported. Guadeloupe's chief port and largest town is Pointe-a-Pitre on Grande-Terre Island.
A general council of elected members governs Guadeloupe. Deputies represent the group in the French National Assembly. The Carib Indians occupied Guadeloupe when the first French settlers arrived in 1635. Since then, Guadeloupe has remained a French possession, except for temporary British occupations between 1759 and 1813. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo killed six people on Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre.
Contributor: Gerald R. Showalter, Ph.D., Associate Prof. of Geography, Ball State Univ. |