from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Guadeloupe
Introduction
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
Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic 16 15 N, 61 35 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
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 - 10 times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land total: 15 km
boundaries: border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten)
15 km
Coastline: 306 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m
Natural cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster
resources: tourism
Land use: arable land: 11.7%
permanent crops: 2.92%
other: 85.38% (2005)
Irrigated 60 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe
hazards: is an active volcano
Environment - NA
current
issues:
Geography - a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe
note: proper into two islands: the larger, western
Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre
People
Population: 452,776 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 54,725/female 52,348)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 150,934/female 153,094)
65 years and over: 9.2% (male 17,353/female 24,322)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 32.2 years
male: 31.3 years
female: 33.2 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.88% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 15.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 7.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 78.06 years
expectancy at male: 74.91 years
birth: female: 81.37 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
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.)
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 overseas department of France
status:
Government NA
type:
Capital: name: Basse-Terre
geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 61 44 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative none (overseas department of France)
divisions:
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
holiday:
Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France
branch: (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect
Jean-Jacques BROT (since 12 June 2006)
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 unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42
branch: 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 March 2004 (next
to be held by in 2010); Regional Council - last held 28
March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008 to elect half
of the body)
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 June 2007); percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 1
Judicial Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over
branch: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Political Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE];
parties and FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG
leaders: [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG
[Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Jules OTTO];
Union for French Democracy or UDF [Claudine LACAVE];
Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (including
Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR) [Gabrielle
LOUIS-CARABIN]
Political Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or
pressure KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or
groups and CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG;
leaders: Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The
Socialist Renewal Movement
International UPU, WCL, WFTU
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (overseas department of France)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (overseas department of France)
representation
from the US:
Flag unofficial, local flag based upon the arms of the city
description: of Pointe-a-Pitre; the field is divided horizontally
with a narrow, blue stripe along the top edge charged
with three gold fleurs-de-lis; the wider, lower portion
of the field is black and charged with green sugar cane
leaves - representing one of Guadeloupe's main crops -
surmounted by a gold radiant sun representing the
tropical climate; the only official flag is the
national flag of France
Economy
Economy - This Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism,
overview: 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 $3.513 billion (2003 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $7,900 (2003 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 15%
composition by industry: 17%
sector: services: 68% (2002 est.)
Labor force: 191,400 (1999)
Labor force - agriculture: 15%
by occupation: industry: 20%
services: 65% (2002)
Unemployment 26.9% (2003)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate NA%
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $637.7 million
expenditures: $680.1 million; including capital
expenditures of $112.5 million (2002)
Agriculture - bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables;
products: cattle, pigs, goats
Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 1.165 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 1.084 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $147.8 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - bananas, sugar, rum, melons, spring water
commodities:
Exports - France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (2004)
partners:
Imports: $1.766 billion c.i.f. (2002)
Imports - foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other
commodities: consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands
partners: Antilles 2% (2004)
Debt - $NA
external:
Economic aid - $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (2004)
recipient:
Currency euro (EUR)
(code):
Currency code: EUR
Exchange euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
rates: 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 j(2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 210,000 (2001)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 314,700 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
system: domestic: NA
international: country code - 590; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio
relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique
Radio AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 113,000 (1997)
Television 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 118,000 (1997)
Internet .gp
country code:
Internet 422 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 3 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 79,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 9 (2006)
Airports - total: 8
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with unpaved under 914 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 947 km (2002)
Ports and Basse-Terre, Gustavia, Pointe-a-Pitre
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces
branches:
Manpower males age 18-49: 112,551 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 92,834 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 3,364 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of France
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: