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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 between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 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 land: 1,706 sq km water: 74 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)
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: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 11.7% permanent crops: 2.92% other: 85.38% (2005)
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: | 452,776 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 54,725/female 52,348) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 150,934/female 153,094) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 17,353/female 24,322) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 32.2 years male: 31.3 years female: 33.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.88% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 15.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 6.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.06 years male: 74.91 years female: 81.37 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.9 children born/woman (2006 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: | conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: 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: | 4 October 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 Paul GIROT DE LANGLADE (since 17 August 2004)
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
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
election results: 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 March 2004 (next to be held by in 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008 to elect half of the body)
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
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2013); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 1

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 [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Jules OTTO]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Claudine LACAVE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR) [Gabrielle LOUIS-CARABIN]

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; The Socialist Renewal Movement
International organization participation: | WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (overseas department of France)

Flag description:

unofficial, local flag based upon the arms of the city of Pointe-a-Pitre; the field is divided horizontally with a narrow, blue stripe along the top edge charged with three gold fleurs-de-lis; the wider, lower portion of the field is black and charged with green sugar cane leaves - representing one of Guadeloupe's main crops - surmounted by a gold radiant sun representing the tropical climate; the only official flag is the national flag of France

Economy | Guadeloupe

Economy - overview:

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.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $3.513 billion (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | NA
GDP - real growth rate: | NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $7,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 15% industry: 17% services: 68% (2002 est.)
Labor force: | 125,900 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 15%, industry 20%, services 65% (2002)
Unemployment rate: | 27.8% (1998)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | NA%
Budget: | revenues: $296.3 million expenditures: $296.3 million; including capital expenditures of $112.5 million (2002)
Agriculture - products: | bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats
Industries: | construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 1.165 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 1.084 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports: | $147.8 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities: | bananas, sugar, rum, melons, spring water
Exports - partners: | France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (2004)
Imports: | $1.766 billion c.i.f. (2002)
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% (2004)
Debt - external: | $NA
Economic aid - recipient: | $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (2004)
Currency (code): | euro (EUR)
Currency code: | EUR
Exchange rates: | euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 j(2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Guadeloupe

Telephones - main lines in use: | 210,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 323,500 (2002)
Telephone system: | 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
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 hosts: | 418 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2000)
Internet users: | 79,000 (2005)

Transportation | Guadeloupe

Airports: | 9 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2005)
Roadways: | total: 947 km (2002)
Ports and terminals: | Basse-Terre, Gustavia, Pointe-a-Pitre

Military | Guadeloupe

Military branches: | no regular military forces
Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues | Guadeloupe

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006