Guadeloupe - an overseas department of France in the Caribbean Sea in the Lesser Antilles archipelago (8 islands), between North and South America
An overseas department of France in the Caribbean Sea in the Lesser Antilles archipelago (8 islands), between North and South America. Total area - 1.7 thousand km². Administrative center - Basse-Terre (13 thousand), economic center - Pointe-à-Pitre (26 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 3 districts. Population - over 444 thousand (2004); predominantly people of African descent and mulattos (90%), French - 5%, indigenous people - 40 thousand, Creoles - 12 thousand. The official language is French, with a widely spoken Creole language, and a minority of the population speaks English. The predominant religion is Catholicism. The currency is the euro.
National holiday - November 11 - Armistice Day in World War I.
In administrative and political terms, it is an overseas department (since 1946) and simultaneously a region (since 1982) of France and includes the islands: Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Désirade, Les Saintes, Saint-Barthélemy, Petite-Terre, Tetamare, and the northern part of Saint Martin. In Guadeloupe, as in any other French department, there is a body of state executive power of France - the prefecture, as well as local self-government bodies: the General Council (departmental body - 42 members) and the Regional Council (regional body - 41 members). These councils are elected for 6 years by direct universal suffrage. The Regional Council, formed on the basis of the French law on administrative decentralization, has broader powers than the General Council in addressing local economic and administrative issues. In the French Parliament, Guadeloupe is represented by 4 deputies and 2 senators, and in the European Parliament - by 1 deputy.
Local branches of French political parties operate: Union for a Popular Movement, Union for French Democracy, French Socialist Party, as well as the Guadeloupe Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party of Guadeloupe, People's Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe, Movement for Independent Guadeloupe, Movement of Christians for the Liberation of Guadeloupe.
The General Confederation of Labor of Guadeloupe originated as the Departmental Union of the CGT of France, and has been autonomous since 1961. Local organizations of other trade unions of France - the Democratic Confederation of Labor and "Force Ouvrière" - also operate.
The expedition of Christopher Columbus reached Guadeloupe in 1493. Since 1635 - a colony of France. In the 17th-18th centuries, it was populated by slaves brought from Africa. In the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th century, Guadeloupe was briefly occupied by Great Britain, but its belonging to France was confirmed by the Paris Peace Treaty of 1816. Slavery was abolished in 1848.
GDP (2002) per capita - 8547 USD. 75% of GDP - aid from the metropolis. 15% of GDP comes from agriculture, 17% from industry, and 68% from the service sector. The state provides 50% of social insurance.
The economy is based on agriculture, foreign tourism, and a number of light industry enterprises. The most important agricultural crops are sugar cane (annual harvest - about 800 thousand tons), bananas (2001 - 89 thousand tons), coconuts, pineapples, and eggplants. Livestock includes cattle (85 thousand heads), pigs (19 thousand), goats (33.8 thousand), and sheep (3 thousand). Fishing and other seafood harvesting are conducted (in 2001 - over 10 thousand tons).
The leading industry is the production of raw sugar (in 2002 - over 51 thousand tons). There are enterprises for the production of rum (in 2002 - over 67 thousand hectares), soft drinks, building materials, and textiles. Although the island produces its own electricity, 90% of energy carriers are imported.
In recent years, the economy of Guadeloupe has been in a state of stagnation. The competitiveness of agricultural products is largely ensured by subsidies. 40% of taxes are not collected. The share of "shadow" production in GDP is 18%. Unemployment (2003) - 45.5 thousand people.
In 2002, exports amounted to about 157 million euros, imports - 1.9 billion euros. The main export items are agricultural products, bananas, raw sugar, rum; imports - fuel, food, industrial goods. The main trading partners are the metropolis, the USA, Japan, Spain, and the UK.
Every year, Guadeloupe is visited by about 650-700 thousand tourists. Tourism accounts for 26.2% of GDP and provides 20 thousand jobs. Annual income from tourism activities - 373 million euros.
The total length of the roads is about 2400 km (2002).
In Pointe-à-Pitre, there is a branch of the University of "Antilles-Guyane". A pedagogical institute also operates.
Several periodicals are published, including the daily newspaper "France-Antilles" (25 thousand copies) and the weekly "Set Magazine" (15 thousand).
Radio and television broadcasts are carried out by the company "Réseau France Outre-Mer" and the channel "France Ô".