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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 |
|
Location:
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Caribbean,
islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico |
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Geographic coordinates:
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16 15 N, 61 35 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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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 |
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Area - comparative:
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10 times the size
of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
10.2 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten)
10.2 km |
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Coastline:
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306 km |
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Climate:
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subtropical
tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity |
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Terrain:
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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 |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m |
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Natural resources:
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cultivable land,
beaches and climate that foster tourism |
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Land use:
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arable land:
10.65%
permanent crops: 4.14%
other: 85.21% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes (June
to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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a narrow channel,
the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands:
the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern
Grande-Terre |
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Population:
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444,515 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
24.4% (male 55,386; female 52,977)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 146,772; female 149,314)
65 years and over: 9% (male 16,730; female 23,336)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
31.4 years
male: 30.6 years
female: 32.3 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.96% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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15.79
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.05 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.15 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
8.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 77.71 years
male: 74.56 years
female: 81.03 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe |
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Ethnic groups:
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black or mulatto
90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% |
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Languages:
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French (official)
99%, Creole patois |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90%
male: 90%
female: 90% (1982 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
department of France |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Basse-Terre |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (overseas
department of France) |
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Independence:
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none (overseas
department of France) |
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National holiday:
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Bastille Day, 14
July (1789) |
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Constitution:
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28 September 1958
(French Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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French legal
system |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 6 August
2002)
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 26 March 2001); President of the
Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004)
cabinet: NA |
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Legislative branch:
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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 28
March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010)
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 2007);
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1,
different right parties 1
election results: General Council - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8,
RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional
Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%,
UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12 |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Appeal
or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French
Guiana, and Martinique |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Communist Party
of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA];
Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive
Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS
[Marlene MELISSE and Favrot DAVRAIN]; Union for French
Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Union for a Popular Movement
or UMP [Robert JOYEUX] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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; The Socialist Renewal Movement |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas
department of France) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas
department of France) |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $3.513 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA% |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $8,000 (1997 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
15%
industry: 17%
services: 68% (1997 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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125,900 (1997) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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NA |
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Unemployment rate:
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27.8% (1998) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital
expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
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Industries:
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construction,
cement, rum, sugar, tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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1.155 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.074 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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13,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas,
sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats |
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Exports:
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$140 million
f.o.b. (1997) |
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas, sugar,
rum |
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Exports - partners:
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France 60%,
Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999) |
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Imports:
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$1.7 billion
c.i.f. (1997) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs,
fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods,
construction materials |
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Imports - partners:
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France 63%,
Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1999) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA (yearend 2003
est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA; note -
substantial annual French subsidies (1995) |
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Currency:
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euro (EUR);
French franc (FRF) |
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Currency code:
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EUR; FRF |
|
Exchange rates:
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euros per US
dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854
(2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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210,000 (2001) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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323,500 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 590; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay
to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 17,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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5 (plus several
low-power repeaters) (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.gp |
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Internet users:
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20,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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NA km; privately
owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines |
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Highways:
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total:
2,467 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1998) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Basse-Terre,
Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 1
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
by type: passenger 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.)
foreign-owned: France 1 |
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Airports:
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9 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no regular
military forces |
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Military - note:
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defense is the
responsibility of France |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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