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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
Guadeloupe has been a French
possession since 1635. The island of Saint-Martin is divided with the
Netherlands (whose southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of
the Netherlands Antilles). |
| 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 (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 |
| 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 |
| Population: |
431,170 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
24.99% (male 55,030; female 52,722)
15-64 years: 66.22% (male 141,294; female 144,232)
65 years and over: 8.79% (male 15,901; female 21,991) (2001
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.07% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
16.91 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.02 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.15 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
9.53 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
77.16 years
male: 74.01 years
female: 80.48 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.93 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
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.) |
| 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 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (overseas department of
France) |
| Independence: |
none (overseas department of
France) |
| National
holiday: |
Bastille Day, 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 March 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 2004); 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 - diverse left parties 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG
6, diverse right parties 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of
vote by party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG
5.29%, diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25, PS/PPDG/diverse
left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 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: |
Communist Party of Guadeloupe
or PCG [Christian CELESTE]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri
BANGOU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Aldo BLAISE]; Socialist Party or
PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS] |
| 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 |
| 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 gold five-pointed 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. Hurricanes periodically
devastate the economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$3.7 billion (1997 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$9,000 (1997 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 15%
industry: 17%
services: 68% (1997 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
NA |
| Labor
force: |
125,900 (1997) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
NA |
| Unemployment
rate: |
27.8% (1998) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $225
million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures
of $105 million (1996) |
| Industries: |
construction, cement, rum,
sugar, tourism |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.3 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.209 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
bananas, sugarcane, tropical
fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats |
| Exports: |
$140 million (f.o.b., 1997) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
bananas, sugar, rum |
| Exports
- partners: |
France 60%, Martinique 18%,
US 4% (1997) |
| Imports: |
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997) |
| 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% (1997) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA; note - substantial
annual French subsidies |
| Currency: |
French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Euros per US dollar - 1.0659
(January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US
dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
171,000 (1996) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
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 1, FM 17, shortwave 0
(1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
5 (plus several low-power
repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
118,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.gp |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
3 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
4,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: NA km;
privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines |
| Highways: |
total: 2,560 km
paved: 965 km
unpaved: 1,595 km (1996) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on
Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 1 ship
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
French Forces, Gendarmerie |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the responsibility
of France |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
