Map of Guadeloupe | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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).


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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 reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 1,780 km²
Land: 1,706 km²
Water: 74 km²
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
Comparative: 10 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 10.2 km
Border countries: (0) 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
Extremes 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 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere is an active volcano

Geography


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Population: 431,170 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.07% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Guadeloupian
Adjective: Guadeloupe

Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 90% white 5% East Indian Lebanese Chinese less than 5%

Languages: French (official) 99% Creole patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 95% Hindu and pagan African 4% Protestant 1%

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.07% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 16.91 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 9.53 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 90%
Male: 90%
Female: 90% (1982 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
Conventional short form: Guadeloupe
Local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe
Local short form: Guadeloupe

Government type: NA

Capital: Basse-Terre

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: Bastille Day 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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]

International organization participation: FZ WCL WFTU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas department of France)
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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 15%
Industry: 17%
Services: 68% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas sugarcane tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle pigs goats

Industries: construction cement rum sugar tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 125,900 (1997)
By occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 27.8% (1998)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $225 million
Expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $140 million (f.o.b. 1997)
Commodities: bananas sugar rum
Partners: France 60% Martinique 18% US 4% (1997)

Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f. 1997)
Commodities: foodstuffs fuels vehicles clothing and other consumer goods construction materials
Partners: France 63% Germany 4% US 3% Japan 2% Netherlands Antilles 2% (1997)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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)


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Electricity
Production: 1.3 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 1.209 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 171,000 (1996)
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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .gp
Service providers isps: 3 (2000)
Users: 4,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 9 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
Ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs