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 coordinates: 16 15 N, 61 35 W

 

Map references:  Central America and the Caribbean;

 

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 - 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: 11.24%; permanent crops: 3.55%; other: 85.21% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (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

 

People

 

Population:     448,713 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure:           0-14 years: 24% (male 55,072/female 52,677); 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 148,880/female 151,238); 65 years and over: 9.1% (male 17,032/female 23,814) (2005 est.)

 

Median age:  total: 31.81 years; male: 30.91 years; female: 32.73 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate:  0.92% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate:      15.42 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate:    6.06 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate:   -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio:       at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.05 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 (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 8.6 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 7.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth:      total population: 77.9 years; male: 74.74 years; female: 81.21 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2005 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.)

 

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 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 NA 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010); 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 NA 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

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: The 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 - real growth rate: NA%

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,900 (2003 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%; industry: 17%; services: 68% (1997 est.)

 

Labor force:   125,900 (1997)

 

Labor force - by occupation:  NA

 

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: $225 million; expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)

 

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

 

Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism

 

Industrial production growth rate:   NA%

 

Electricity - production: 1.16 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 1.079 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports:  0 kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports:  NA

 

Oil - imports:  NA

 

Exports: $140 million f.o.b. (1997)

 

Exports - commodities: bananas, sugar, rum

 

Exports - partners:    France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999)

 

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% (1999)

 

Debt - external:  $NA (yearend 2003 est.)

 

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

 

Currency (code):  euro (EUR)

 

Exchange rates:  euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 j(2001), 1.0854 (2000)

 

Fiscal year:    calendar year

 

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 users:   20,000 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

Highways:      total: 947 km (2002)

 

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

 

Merchant marine: total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT; by type: passenger 1; foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2005)

 

Airports:  9 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways:  total: 8; over 3,047 m: 1; 914 to 1,523 m: 2; under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways:    total: 1; under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international:       none