Background: Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe

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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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 1,484 m

Natural resources: cultivable land beaches and climate that foster tourism

Land use
Arable land: 11.24%
Permanent crops: 3.55%
Other: 85.21% (2001)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1998 est.)

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

Geography
Note: a narrow channel the Riviere Salee divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger western Basse-Terre and the smaller eastern Grande-Terre

Population: 448,713 (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 0.92% (2005 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 24% (male 55,072/female 52,677)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 148,880/female 151,238)
65 years and over: 9.1% (male 17,032/female 23,814) (2005 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.81 years
Male: 30.91 years
Female: 32.73 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.92% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 15.42 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 6.06 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 9.81 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 7.33 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.9 years
Male: 74.74 years
Female: 81.21 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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

Government type: NA

Capital: Basse-Terre

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: Bastille Day 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 4 October 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 Paul GIROT DE LANGLADE (since 17 August 2004)
Head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004)
Cabinet: NA
Elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-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 March 2004 (next to be held by NA 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010)
Election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12
Note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2013); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA, Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 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 [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Marlene MELISSE and Favrot DAVRAIN]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including RPR) [Robert JOYEUX]

International organization participation: WCL WFTU

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

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy overview: The Caribbean 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: $3.513 billion (2003 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,900 (2003 est.)

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)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Exports: $140 million f.o.b. (1997)
Commodities: bananas sugar rum
Partners: France 60% Martinique 18% US 4% (1999)

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% (1999)

Debt external: $NA (yearend 2003 est.)

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003) 1.0626 (2002) 1.1175 j(2001) 1.0854 (2000)

Electricity
Production: 1.16 billion kWh (2002)
Consumption: 1.079 billion kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 210,000 (2001)
Mobile cellular: 323,500 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 590; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique

Internet
Country code: .gp
Users: 20,000 (2002)

Airports: 9 (2004 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 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
By type: passenger 1
Foreign owned: 1 (France 1) (2005)

Disputes international: none