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 Guadeloupe
Regions and territories: Guadeloupe
Known to its one-time Carib indian population as "karukera", or "island of beautiful waters", the French territory of Guadeloupe is a centre of Caribbean Creole culture.French, African and Caribbean influences infuse its music, dance, food and widely-spoken patois.
Guadeloupe's economy is kept afloat by public salaries and credits from Paris. Unemployment has been a long-running malaise, although its effects are tempered by France's generous social security system.
Agriculture revolves around sugar cane and bananas; the latter is troubled by regional competition and the phasing out of preferential European quotas.
Tourism is important. Visitors, most of them from France, are drawn to Guadeloupe's resorts, beaches, waterfalls and forests and the territory is a port of call for cruise ships.
Guadeloupe is prone to earthquakes and hurricanes. Mount Soufriere, Basse-Terre's volcano, last erupted in the 1970s.
Visited by the explorer Christopher Columbus in 1493, who named it after a Spanish monastery, the territory was home to Carib indians who resisted Spanish attempts to settle the islands.
French colonists arrived in the 17th century, wiping out the Carib population. The settlers brought slaves from Africa to work on plantations and Guadeloupe prospered thanks to the trade in sugar and tobacco.
There were several British occupations in the 18th and early 19th centuries - and a brief period of nominal Swedish rule - before the territory was restored to France. It became a French "department" in 1946, and from the 1980s, a region of France.
Although support for the status quo is strong, a campaign for secession from France flared in the 1980s when pro-independence groups bombed hotels and government buildings.
- Population: 445,000 (via UN, 2006)
- Capital: Basse-Terre
- Area: 1,705 sq km (658 sq miles)
- Major languages: French (official), Creole dialect
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 75 years (men); 82 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: euro
- Main exports: Bananas, sugar, rum, vanilla
- GNI per capita: US$14,088 (UN, 2003)
- Internet domain: .gp
- International dialling code: +590
Head of state: (French) President Jacques Chirac
Guadeloupe is administered as a part of the French mainland.
Paris is represented by a prefect, appointed by the French president. Regional and general councils, elected by popular votes, oversee legislative and day-to-day affairs. Guadeloupe sends representatives to the National Assembly and to the Senate in Paris.
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This 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.
Guadeloupe natural resources include cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism
a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre
Guadeloupe religion is Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1%.
Natural hazards in Guadeloupe include hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano.
Travel Advice on Guadeloupe
SUMMARY
- Guadeloupe is a French Overseas Territory. There is no formal British diplomatic or consular representation. The General section of this travel advice gives you more information.
- Several hundred British nationals visit Guadeloupe each year. Most visits to Guadeloupe are trouble-free. The main type of incident for which British nationals require consular assistance in Guadeloupe is for replacing passports and medical problems. The Health section of this Travel Advice gives you more information.
- The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
- Although the risk from crime is also low, it does exist and you should take normal common-sense precautions.
- The hurricane season in Guadeloupe normally runs from June to November. Please see the Natural Disasters section of this Travel Advice and Hurricanes for more information.
- We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling to Guadeloupe. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. Please see: Travel Insurance.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
You should take sensible precautions and avoid isolated areas, including beaches, after dark. Do not carry large amounts of cash or jewellery. Valuables and travel documents should, where possible, be left in safety deposit boxes and hotel safes.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
HEALTH
GENERAL
There is no resident British Diplomatic Mission in Guadeloupe. Routine consular matters are covered by the British Embassy in Paris. In case of emergency, contact the Honorary British Consul in Guadeloupe, 23 rue Sadi Carnot, 97110 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe; (tel: +590 82 57 57; fax: +590 82 89 33).