Guadeloupe — map and facts

#### About Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an archipelago and overseas region of France located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, forming part of the Lesser Antilles island chain. It consists of two main islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, which are separated by the narrow salt-water channel of the Rivière Salée, along with several smaller dependencies including Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des Saintes. With a population of approximately 400,000, Guadeloupe is an integral part of the French Republic and the European Union, using the euro as its currency. Basse-Terre serves as the administrative capital while Pointe-à-Pitre, on Grande-Terre, is the largest city and main economic centre. The majority of the population is of Afro-Caribbean descent, and Antillean Creole is widely spoken alongside French.

#### Geography and Landscape The two main islands of Guadeloupe present strikingly contrasting landscapes. Basse-Terre is a rugged volcanic island dominated by La Soufrière, an active stratovolcano rising to 1,467 metres and the highest peak in the Lesser Antilles. Dense tropical rainforest covers much of its interior, and the island is characterised by dramatic waterfalls, hot springs, and lush vegetation. Grande-Terre, by contrast, is a relatively flat limestone island covered mainly by sugarcane plantations and dry scrubland, fringed by white-sand beaches and coral reefs. The surrounding waters are rich in marine life, and the archipelago sits within the hurricane belt, making it vulnerable to tropical storms between June and November each year.

#### History Guadeloupe was originally inhabited by the Arawak people, who were subsequently displaced by the Kalinago around 1000 CE. Christopher Columbus reached the island in 1493 and named it after the Spanish monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. France colonised the archipelago in 1635 and introduced African enslaved labour to work on sugar plantations, which became the backbone of the colonial economy. Britain occupied the islands on several occasions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but France ultimately retained sovereignty. Slavery was abolished in 1848, largely through the efforts of Guadeloupean-born abolitionist Victor Schoelcher. Guadeloupe became a French overseas department in 1946, granting its residents full French citizenship and access to the French social welfare system.