Guadeloupe (overseas department of France)

§1. Guadeloupe 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).

§2. Guadeloupe Geography

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 kmē
  land: 1,706 kmē
  water: 74 kmē
  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

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 kmē (1993 est.)

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

Environment - current issues:
  NA

§3. Guadeloupe People

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  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.)

§4. Guadeloupe Government

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

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:
  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

§5. Guadeloupe Economy

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)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies

Currency:
  French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)

Currency code:
  FRF; 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

§6. Guadeloupe Communications

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)

Radios:
  113,000 (1997)

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)

§7. Guadeloupe Transportation

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

Highways:
  total: 2,560 km
  paved: 965 km
  unpaved: 1,595 km (1996)

Waterways:
  none

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:
  9 (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.)

§8. Guadeloupe Military

Military branches:
  French Forces, Gendarmerie

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France

§9. Guadeloupe Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none
