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Guadeloupe

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

   Région Guadeloupe

   Flag of Guadeloupe Logo of Guadeloupe
         ( flag)         (Région logo)
   Location

   Map of France highlighting the Region of Guadeloupe
   Administration
   Capital Basse-Terre
   Regional President Victorin Lurel
   ( PS) (since 2004)
   Départements Guadeloupe
   Arrondissements 3
   Cantons 43
   Communes 34
   Statistics
   Land area^1 1,702 km²
   Population (Ranked 23rd)
    - January 1, 2005 est. 453,000
    - March 8, 1999 est. 422,496
    - Density (2005) 266/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
   France
   Map of the Guadeloupe archipelago
   Enlarge
   Map of the Guadeloupe archipelago

   Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at
   {`{coor dm|16|15|N|61|35|W|type:country}}, with a total area of 1,780
   square kilometres (687  sq. mi). It is an overseas département (
   département d'outre-mer, DOM) of France. As with the other DOMs,
   Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six régions of France (being a
   région d'outre-mer) 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.

History

   View from Guadeloupe
   Enlarge
   View from Guadeloupe

   Guadeloupe was populated from 300 BC by the Arawak Amerindians, who
   fished and developed agriculture on the island. It was next inhabited
   by the Caribs, who pushed out most of the Arawak in the 8th century,
   and who renamed the island "Karukera" or the "Island of beautiful
   waters".

   During his second trip to America Christopher Columbus became the first
   European to land on Guadeloupe on 14 November 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 French took possession of the island in 1635 and wiped out many of
   the Carib amerindians. It was annexed to the kingdom of France in 1674.
   Over the next century, the island was seized several times by the
   British. One indication of Guadeloupe's prosperity at this time is that
   in the Treaty of Paris ( 1763), France, defeated in war, accepted to
   abandon its territorial claims in Canada in return for British
   recognition of French control of Guadeloupe.

   In an effort to take advantage of the chaos ensuing from the French
   Revolution, Britain attempted to seize Guadeloupe in 1794 and held it
   from April 21 to June 2. The French retook the island under the command
   of Victor Hugues, who succeeded in freeing the slaves. They revolted
   and turned on the slave-owners who controlled the sugar plantations,
   but when American interests were threatened, Napoleon sent a force to
   suppress the rebels and reinstitute 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.

   On February 4, 1810 the British once again seized the island and held
   it until March 3, 1813, when it was ceded to Sweden as a consequence of
   the Napoleonic Wars. Sweden already had a colony in the area, but
   merely 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 was
   abolished on the island in 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher.
   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.

Geography

   Guadeloupe comprises five islands: 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.

   Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief, while Grande-Terre features
   rolling hills and flat plains.

   Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint
   Martin come under the jurisdiction of Guadeloupe.

   On December 7, 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas
   territorial collectivity.

Demographics

   (July 2006 estimates)
   Population               452,776
   Age structure            0 to 14 years       23.6% male 54,725
                                                      female 52,348
                            15 to 64 years      67.1% male 150,934
                                                      female 153,094
                            65 years and older  9.2%  male 17,353
                                                      female 24,322
   Population growth rate   0.88%
   Birth rate               15.05 births        per 1,000 people
   Death rate               6.09 deaths
   Net migration rate       -0.15 migrants
   Sex ratio
   (male:female)            at birth            1.05
                            under 15 years
                            15 to 64 years      0.99
                            65 years and older  0.71
                            Overall             0.97
   Infant mortality rate    8.41 deaths per 1,000 live births
   Life expectancy
   at birth                 males               74.91 years
                            females             81.37 years
                            Overall             78.06 years
   Total fertility rate     1.9 children born per woman
   Demonym                  Guadeloupean(s) (not Guadeloupians)
   Adjectival               Guadeloupe, Guadeloupean
   Ethnic groups            Black / Mulatto     75%
                            White               11%
                            Tamil / East Indian 9%
                            Lebanese / Syrians  3%
                            Chinese / others    2%
   Religion                 Roman Catholic      91%
                            Protestant          5%
                            Hindu / African     4%
   Language                 French (official) 99%, Creole patois
   Literacy                 males               90%
                            females
                            Overall

Administrative divisions

   In green (with red legend) are the constituent parts of the Guadeloupe
   région/département among the Leeward Islands.
   Enlarge
   In green (with red legend) are the constituent parts of the Guadeloupe
   région/département among the Leeward Islands.

   Administratively, Guadeloupe is divided into arrondissements, cantons
   and communes:
     * Arrondissements of the Guadeloupe département
     * Cantons of the Guadeloupe département
     * Communes of the Guadeloupe département

Politics

   National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
   Slavery Abolition Day 27 May (1848)
   Constitution 28 September (1958)
   Legal system French
   Suffrage Universal at 18 years old
   Executive branch Chief of state President Jacques Chirac
   represented by Prefect Paul Girot de Langlade since 17 May 1995
   since 7 July 2004
   Head of government President of the General Council Jacques Gillot
   President of the Regional Council Victorin Lurel since 26 March 2001
   since 22 April 2004
   Cabinet n/a
   Elections French president elected by popular vote for five-year term;
   Prefect appointed by the French president on advice of the French
   Ministry of the Interior;
   General and Regional Council presidents elected by membership of those
   councils.
   Election results n/a
   Legislative branch Unicameral General Council (Conseil General; 42
   seats)
   Unicameral Regional Council (Conseil Regional; 41 seats) members
   elected by popular vote
   to serve six-year terms
   Elections  General Council

          last held March 2004, next due 2010

   Regional Council

          last held 28 March 2004, next due March 2008

   Election results General Council

          Percent of vote by party: n/a
          Seats by party:

                left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, PCG 3, PPDG 6
                right-wing candidates 5, RPR 8, UDF 1

   Regional Council

          Percent of vote by party:

                PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%

          Seats by party:

                PS 29, UMP 12

   Judicial branch Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) in Basse-Terre;
   Assize Court (Cour d'assises) in Basse-Terre to try felonies,
   consisting of three judges and a popular jury;
   Several first instance courts of varying competence levels, in
   Basse-Terre, Pointe-à-Pitre, Saint-Martin and Grand-Bourg.
   Political parties Guadeloupe Communist Party (PCG) · FGPS · Progressive
   Democratic Party (PPDG) · Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) (formerly
   the Rassemblement pour la Republique, RPR) · Socialist Party (PS) ·
   Union for French Democracy (UDF)
   Pressure groups Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (ULPG) · General
   Federation of Guadeloupe Workers (CGT-G) · General Union of Guadeloupe
   Workers (UGTG) · Movement for Independent Guadeloupe (MPGI) · The
   Socialist Party
   International
   membership FZ · WCL · WFTU

Culture

   Beach in Guadeloupe
   Enlarge
   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 imagery 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.

Economy

   Carbet Falls
   Enlarge
   Carbet Falls

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

   Tourism is a key industry, with 83.3% of tourists visiting from
   continental France, 10.8% coming from the rest of Europe, 3.4% coming
   from the United States, 1.5% coming from Canada, 0.4% coming from South
   America and 0.6% coming from the rest of the world . An increasingly
   large number of cruise ships visit the islands.

   The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops,
   such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings),
   eggplant, guinnep, noni, sapotilla, paroka, pikinga, giraumon squash,
   yam, gourd, plantain, christophine, monbin, prunecafé, cocoa,
   jackfruit, pomegranate, and many varieties of flowers. Other vegetables
   and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although
   Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France.

   Light industry features sugar and rum, solar energy, and many
   industrial productions. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported.
   Unemployment is especially high among the youth. Hurricanes
   periodically devastate the economy.

   The country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guadeloupe is " .gp".

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
