Guadeloupe

§1. 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

§2. Guadeloupe Geography

Location:
  Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
  southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:
  16 15 N, 61 35 W

Map references:
  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)

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:
  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
  highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m

Natural resources:
  cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism

Land use:
  arable land: 11.7%
  permanent crops: 2.92%
  other: 85.38% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  20 km² (1998 est.)

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

Environment - current issues:
  NA

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

§3. Guadeloupe 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 growth rate:
  0.88% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  15.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  6.09 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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 mortality rate:
  total: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 7.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 78.06 years
  male: 74.91 years
  female: 81.37 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.9 children born/woman (2006 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:
  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:
  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 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 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 [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 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; The Socialist
  Renewal Movement

International organization participation:
  WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (overseas department of France)

Flag description:
  unofficial, local flag based upon the arms of the city 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

§5. Guadeloupe Economy

Economy - overview:
  This 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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $3.513 billion (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $7,900 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 15%
  industry: 17%
  services: 68% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
  125,900 (1997)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 15%, industry 20%, services 65% (2002)

Unemployment rate:
  27.8% (1998)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%

Budget:
  revenues: $296.3 million
  expenditures: $296.3 million; including capital expenditures of $112.5
    million (2002)

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

Industries:
  construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  1.165 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  1.084 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  13,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $147.8 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
  bananas, sugar, rum, melons, spring water

Exports - partners:
  France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (2004)

Imports:
  $1.766 billion c.i.f. (2002)

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% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (2004)

Currency (code):
  euro (EUR)

Exchange rates:
  euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626
  (2002), 1.1175 j(2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Guadeloupe Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  210,000 (2001)

Telephones - 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

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Internet country code:
  .gp

Internet hosts:
  418 (2005)

Internet users:
  79,000 (2005)

§7. Guadeloupe Transportation

Airports:
  9 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 8
  over 3,047 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 2
  under 914 m: 5 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 1
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 947 km (2002)

Ports and terminals:
  Basse-Terre, Gustavia, Pointe-a-Pitre

§8. Guadeloupe Military

Military branches:
  no regular military forces

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France

§9. Guadeloupe Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none


<Factbook 2006>
