Guadeloupe Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Guadeloupe
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Antilles Info Guadeloupe

The Tourist Bureau Basse-Terre

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AOM Guadeloupe

Introduction

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 Guadeloupe

Geography Guadeloupe

Location: Caribbean, islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, southeast
of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 16 15 N, 61 35 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

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

Land boundaries: total: 10.2 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles
(Sint Maarten) 10.2 km

Coastline: 306 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

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 resources: cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster
tourism

Land use: arable land: 11% permanent crops: 4% other: 85% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1998 est.)

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

People Guadeloupe

Population: 435,739 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.9% (male 55,393; female 53,047) 15-64
years: 66.2% (male 142,945; female 145,757) 65 years and over: 8.9%
(male 16,168; female 22,429) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.04% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 16.53 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
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 (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 80.66 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

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

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.)

Government Guadeloupe

Country name: Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form:
la Guadeloupe

Dependency status: overseas department of France

Government type: NA

Capital: Basse-Terre

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French legal system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France
(since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Francois CARENCO
(since NA July 1999) election results: NA elections: French president
elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by
the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior;
the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the
members of those councils head of government: President of the General
Council Jacques GILLOT (since 23 March 2001); President of the Regional
Council Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections:
General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2004);
Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September
2004); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS 1;
Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly;
elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2002);
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA election results:
General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
diverse left parties 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, diverse right parties 5,
PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - RPR 48.03%,
PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG 5.29%, diverse right parties
5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 12, PCG 2,
diverse right parties 2

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over
Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique

Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG
[Christian CELESTE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Progressive Democratic
Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Aldo BLAISE];
Socialist Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Union for French Democracy or
UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Christian Movement for the
Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe
Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement
for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI

International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department
of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy Guadeloupe

Economy - overview: The 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.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1997 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15% industry: 17% services:
68% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: 125,900 (1997)

Labor force - by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 27.8% (1998)

Budget: revenues: $225 million expenditures: $390 million, including
capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)

Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 1.39 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 1.293 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and
vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats

Exports: $140 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports - commodities: bananas, sugar, rum

Exports - partners: France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1997)

Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other
consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners: France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands
Antilles 2% (1997)

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies

Currency: euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)

Currency code: EUR; FRF

Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar -
5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Guadeloupe

Telephones - main lines in use: 171,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,
and Martinique

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 113,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 5 (plus several low-power repeaters)
(1997)

Televisions: 118,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .gp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)

Internet users: 4,000 (2000)

Transportation Guadeloupe

Railways: total: NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines

Highways: total: 2,560 km paved: 965 km unpaved: 1,595 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot,
Pointe-a-Pitre

Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240
GRT/109 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 note: includes a foreign-owned
ship registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1 (2002 est.)

Airports: 9 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m:
2 under 914 m: 5 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Military Guadeloupe

Military branches: no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces,
Gendarmerie

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues Guadeloupe

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002