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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
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, Saint Barthelemy, and part 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:
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 1,467 m
Natural resources: cultivable land, beaches and climate
that foster tourism
Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 29% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere
is an active volcano
Environment—current issues: NA
Environment—international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Population: 420,943 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (male 53,427; female 51,234)
15-64 years: 66% (male 138,215; female 141,243)
65 years and over: 9% (male 15,536; female 21,288) (1999
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.06% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 16.33 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.62 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(1999 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: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.54 deaths/1,000 live births (1999
est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.01 years
male: 74.98 years
female: 81.18 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1999 est.)
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 sects 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.)
Country name:
conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe
local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe
local short form: Guadeloupe
Data code: GP
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: National Day, Taking of the Bastille,
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 FEDINI (since NA 1996)
head of government: President of the General Council Marcellin
LUBETH (since NA 1998); President of the Regional Council Lucette
MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for
a seven-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 22 March 1998
(next to be held by NA 2002); Regional Council—last held 15
March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: General Council—percent of vote by
party—NA; seats by party—various left parties 11, PS 8,
RPR 8, PPDG 6, various right parties 5, PCC 3, UDF 1; Regional Council—percent
of vote by party—RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/DVG 24.49%, PCG 5.29%,
DVD 5.73%; seats by party—RPR 25, PS/PPDG/DVG 12, PCG 2, DVD
2
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 25 May—1 June 1997 (next
to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party—NA; seats by
party—FGPS 2, RPR 1, PPDG 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with
jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic
or RPR [Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY]; Communist Party of Guadeloupe or
PCG [Mona CADOCE]; Socialist Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Popular
Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or UPLG [Claude MAKOUKE];
FGPS Dissidents or FRUI.G [Dominique LARIFLA]; Union for French
Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Progressive Democratic Party or
PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Movement for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI
[Luc REIETTE]; Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe
or KLPG; DVG (full name NA) [Jacques GILLOT]; DVD (full name NA)
[Simon IBO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Movement for Independent
Guadeloupe or MPGI; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG;
General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; Christian Movement
for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG
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: three horizontal bands, a narrow green
band (top), a wide red band, and a narrow green band; the green
bands are separated from the red band by two narrow white stripes;
a five-pointed gold star is centered in the red band toward the
hoist side; the flag of France is used for official occasions
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.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$3.7 billion (1996 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: NA%
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$9,000
(1996 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 9%
services: 85% (1993 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1990)
Labor force: 128,000
Labor force—by occupation: agriculture 15%, industry
20%, services 65% (1993)
Unemployment rate: 29.5% (1997)
Budget:
revenues: $200 million
expenditures: $350 million, including capital expenditures
of $NA (1997)
Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity—production: 960 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 960 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: bananas, sugarcane, tropical
fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats
Exports: $133 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports—commodities: bananas, sugar, rum
Exports—partners: France 75%, Martinique 13% (1994)
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports—commodities: foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles,
clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials
Imports—partners: France 64%, EU 13%, Martinique
4%, US, Japan (1994)
Debt—external: $NA
Economic aid—recipient: $NA; note—substantial
annual French subsidies
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1—5.65 (January
1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155(1996), 4.9915 (1995),
5.5520 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones: 64,916 (1984 est.)
Telephone system: 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 2, FM 8 (private stations
licensed to broadcast FM 30), shortwave 0
Radios: 100,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (in addition, there are
several low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 150,000 (1993 est.)
Railways:
total: NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines
Highways:
total: 2,082 km
paved: 1,742 km
unpaved: 340 km (1985 est.)
note: in 1996 there were a total of 3,200 km of roads
Ports and harbors: Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy),
Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military—note: defense is the responsibility of France
Disputes—international: none
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
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