Country name conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe Background Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of GuadeloupeLocation Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico Area total: 1,780 sq km
note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin)
water: 74 sq km
land: 1,706 sq km Area - comparative 10 times the size of Washington, DC Coastline 306 km Climate subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity Terrain Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m Natural hazards hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano Environment - current issues NA Geography - note a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre Population 440,189 (July 2003 est.) Age structure 0-14 years: 24.7% (male 55,521; female 53,137)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 144,764; female 147,449)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 16,443; female 22,875) (2003 est.) Median age total: 31 years
male: 30.2 years
female: 31.9 years (2002) Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe Ethnic groups black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% Religions Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% Languages French (official) 99%, Creole patois Internet country code .gp Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 90%
female: 90% (1982 est.) Government type NA National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Legal system French legal system International organization participation FZ, WCL, WFTU Economy - overview The Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; 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, and 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 production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. Exports - partners France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999) Currency euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) Currency code EUR; FRF Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998) Airports 9 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2002) Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) Disputes - international none |
