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Guadeloupe - General Country Information

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

Introduction

General Information: Guadeloupe

The capital of Guadeloupe is Basse-Terre.

Major cities of Guadeloupe are:
Pointe-a-Pitre.

Geography

Location:	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico
Coordinates:	16 15 N, 61 35 W
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
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:	444,515 (July 2004 est.)
Age Structure:	total: 31.4 years male: 30.6 years female: 32.3 years (2004 est.)
Population Growth Rate:	0.96% (2004 est.)
Birth Rate:	15.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death Rate:	6.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Migration Rate:	-0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate:	total: 8.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Expectancy Birth:	total population: 77.71 years male: 74.56 years female: 81.03 years (2004 est.)
Fertility Rate:	1.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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.)

Gouvernment

Country Name:	conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe
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 22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2004); 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 NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS 1; 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
Political Parties 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 [Marlene MELISSE and Favrot DAVRAIN]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Robert JOYEUX]
Political Pressure Groups 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 in US:	none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic from US:	none (overseas department of France)
Flag Description:	the flag of France is used

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 Capital:	purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2001 est.)
GDP Composition:	agriculture: 15% industry: 17% services: 68% (1997 est.)
Household Income:	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation Rate:	NA (2003 est.)
Labor Force:	125,900 (1997)
Unemployment Rate:	27.8% (1998)
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
Electricity Production:	1.155 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity Consumption:	1.074 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity Exports:	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity Imports:	0 kWh (2001)
Oil Production:	0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil Consumption:	13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil Exports:	NA (2001)
Oil Imports:	NA (2001)
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.)
Currency:	euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
Currency Code:	EUR; FRF
Exchange Rates:	euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Fiscal Year:	calendar year

Communications

Telephones Lines Use:	210,000 (2001)
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 Stations:	AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television Stations:	5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)
Internet Code:	.gp
Internet Users:	20,000 (2002)

Transportation

Highways:	total: 2,467 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1998)
Waterways:	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
Ports Harbors:	Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre
Merchant Marine:	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT by type: passenger 1 foreign-owned: France 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports:	9 (2003 est.)
Airports Paved Runways:	total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports Unpaved Runways:	total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)