Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
| |
|---|---|
| Department of Guadeloupe Dépawtèman Gwadloup (Guadeloupean Creole French) | |
| Nickname: Guadeloupe land of champions | |
| Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |
Location in the Lesser Antilles | |
| Coordinates: 16°15′N 61°30′W / 16.250°N 61.500°W | |
| Sovereign state | France |
| Prefecture | Basse-Terre |
| Largest metropolitan area | Pointe-à-Pitre |
| Period of Autonomy | 1802 |
| French colony | 1648 |
| British occupation | 1759 |
| Restitution to France | 10 February 1763 |
| Second British occupation | 1782 |
| Second restitution to France | 30 May 1814 a |
| Communes | 32 |
| Government | |
| • President of the Departmental Council | Guy Losbar |
| • President of the Regional Council | Ary Chalus |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,628 km2 (629 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 16th region |
| Highest elevation | 1,467 m (4,813 ft) |
| Population (1 January 2024) | |
• Total | 378,561 |
| • Density | 230/km2 (600/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Guadeloupean |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €9.462 billion |
| • Per capita | €22,500 |
| Time zone | UTC-4:00 (AST) |
| Area code | +590 |
| ISO 3166 code | |
| Internet TLD | |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Archipelago's languages | French Les Saintes Creole |
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
| Website | www www |
| a Not effective until 1816. | |
Guadeloupe is an overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and two Îles des Saintes—as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings. It is south of Antigua and Barbuda and Montserrat and north of Dominica. The capital city is Basse-Terre, on the southern west coast of Basse-Terre Island; the most populous city is Les Abymes and the main centre of business is neighbouring Pointe-à-Pitre, both on Grande-Terre Island. It had a population of 395,726 in 2024.
Like the other overseas departments, it is an integral part of France. As a constituent territory of the European Union and the eurozone, the euro is its official currency and any European Union citizen is free to settle and work there indefinitely, but is not part of the Schengen Area. It included Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin until 2007, when they were detached from Guadeloupe following a 2003 referendum.
Christopher Columbus visited Guadeloupe in 1493 and gave the island its name. The official language is French; Antillean Creole is also spoken.