Guadeloupe, << `gwahd` uhl OOP, >> is a group of islands in the Caribbean region. It forms both an overseas department and an overseas region of France. French regions are administrative divisions that roughly resemble states in the United States, and each region has one or more departments. Guadeloupe consists of two main islands separated by a narrow sea channel, a small island group called the Îles des Saintes, and three small islands. It covers about 633 square miles (1,639 square kilometers). The larger of the main islands is called Guadeloupe, or Basse-Terre, and the other is Grande-Terre. The small islands are Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and Petite-Terre. The town of Basse-Terre is the capital. See Basse-Terre .
Guadeloupe has a population of about 400,000. Most of the people are of mixed African and European ancestry. A group of descendants of the original Norman and Breton settlers lives in the Îles des Saintes group. French is the official language, but many people speak a mixture of African words and French called patois. Guadeloupe has a hot, humid climate from June to December. But steady winds tend to moderate the heat. The islands have cooler, drier weather from January to May.
Most people in Guadeloupe are employed in service industries. Agriculture is also important to the islands. Leading farm products include bananas, beef cattle, chickens, hogs, melons, and sugar cane. Rum is distilled and exported. Guadeloupe’s chief port is Pointe-à-Pitre on Grande-Terre Island.
Guadeloupe has two elected governing bodies, a general council and a regional council. Deputies and senators represent Guadeloupe in the French Parliament.
The Carib Indians occupied Guadeloupe when the first French settlers arrived in 1635. Since then, Guadeloupe has remained a French possession, except for temporary British occupations between 1759 and 1813. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo killed six people on Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre. Before 2007, the island of St.-Barthélemy and the northern part of the island of St. Martin were part of Guadeloupe. In 2007, they split away from Guadeloupe, and each became a separate overseas collectivity (administrative unit) of France. In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated parts of Guadeloupe, killing four people and causing widespread damage.
See also Saint-Barthélemy ; Saint-Martin .
