Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an island group or archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at 16°15′N 61°35′W / 16.25°N 61.583°W / 16.25; -61.583, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi). It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union; hence, as for most EU countries, its currency is the euro. However, Guadeloupe does not fall under the Schengen Agreement. The prefecture of Guadeloupe is Basse-Terre.

During his second trip to America, Christopher Columbus became the first European to land on Guadeloupe in November 1493, seeking fresh water. He called it Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura, after the image of the Virgin Mary venerated at the Spanish monastery of Villuercas, in Guadalupe, Extremadura. The expedition set ashore just south of Capesterre but did not leave any settlers ashore.

After successful settlement on the island of St Christophe (St Kitts), the French Company of the American Islands delegated Charles Lienard and Jean Duplessis, Lord of Ossonville to colonize one or any of the region’s islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique or Dominica. Due to Martinique’s inhospitable nature, the duo resolved to settle in Guadeloupe in 1635, took possession of the island and wiped out many of the Carib Amerindians. It was annexed to the kingdom of France in 1674. Over the next century, the island was seized several times by the British. The economy benefited from the hugely lucrative sugar business introduced during the closing decades of the seventeenth century: one indication of Guadeloupe's prosperity at this time is that in the Treaty of Paris (1763), France, defeated in war, agreed to abandon its territorial claims in Canada in return for British recognition of French control of Guadeloupe.

In 1790, the upper classes of Guadeloupe refused to obey the new laws of equal rights for the free colored and attempted to declare independence, resulting in great disturbances; a fire broke out in Pointe-à-Pitre and devastated a third of the town, and a struggle between the monarchists (who wanted independence) and the republicans (who were faithful to revolutionary France) ended in the victory of the monarchists, who declared independence in 1791, followed by the refusal to receive the new governor appointed by Paris in 1792. In 1793, a slave rebellion started, which made the upper classes turn to the British and ask them to occupy the island. In an effort to take advantage of the chaos ensuing from the French Revolution, Britain attempted to seize Guadeloupe in 1794 and held it from April 21 to June 2. The French retook the island under the command of Victor Hugues, who succeeded in freeing the slaves. They revolted and turned on the slave-owners who controlled the sugar plantations, but when French interests were threatened, Napoleon sent a force to suppress the rebels and reinstitute slavery. Louis Delgrès and a group of revolutionary soldiers killed themselves on the slopes of the Matouba volcano when it became obvious that the invading troops would take control of the island. The occupation force killed approximately 10,000 Guadeloupeans in the process of restoring order to the island.

On February 4, 1810 the British once again seized the island. By the Anglo-Swedish alliance of March 3, 1813, it was ceded to Sweden but the British administration continued in place while Swedish commissioners were sent to make arrangements for the transfer. Sweden already had a colony in the area, but then by the Treaty of Paris of May 30, 1814, ceded Guadeloupe once more to France. An ensuing settlement between Sweden and the British gave rise to the Guadeloupe Fund. French control of Guadeloupe was finally acknowledged in the Treaty of Vienna in 1815. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher.

Today the population of Guadeloupe is mostly of African origin with an important European and Indian active population. Lebanese/Syrians, Chinese, and people of many other origins are also present.

On February 22, 2007 the island communes of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy were officially detached from Guadeloupe and became two separate French overseas collectivities with their own local administration, henceforth separated from Guadeloupe. Their combined population was 35,930 and their combined land area was 74.2 km² at the 1999 census. Guadeloupe thereby lost 8.5 percent of its population and 4.36 percent of its land area, based upon numbers from that census.

On 20 January 2009, an umbrella group of approximately fifty labour union and other associations known in the local Antillean Creole as the Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon (LKP) led by Elie Domota called for a 200 Euro ($260 USD) monthly pay increase for the island's low income workers. The protesters have proposed that authorities "lower business taxes as a top up to company finances" to pay for the 200 Euro pay raises. Employers and business leaders in Guadeloupe have said that they cannot afford the salary increase.

Guadeloupe comprises five islands: Basse-Terre Island, Grande-Terre (separated from Basse-Terre by a narrow sea channel called Salt River) with the adjacent islands of La Désirade, Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.

Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief while Grande-Terre features rolling hills and flat plains.

Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin once came under the jurisdiction of Guadeloupe but on December 7, 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas territorial collectivity, a decision which took effect on February 22, 2007.

Guadeloupe sends four deputies to the French National Assembly and three senators to the French Senate. One of the four National Assembly constituencies still includes Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy even though they have seceded from Guadeloupe in 2007. This situation should last until 2012 when Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy will send their own deputies to the French National Assembly.

Guadeloupe has always had a rich literary production prolonged today by many living writers, poets, novelists, essayists and journalists, among them Mesdames Maryse Condé and Simone Schwartz-Bart, M. Ernest Pépin.

Also culturally important are the arts, particularly painting and sculpture. Famous painters and/or sculptors include Michel Rovelas, Claudie Cancelier, Jean-Claude Echard, Christian Bracy, Roger Arekian, les Frères Baptiste, Michelle Chomereau-Lamothe, Léogane, Pédurand, Nicole Réache, Victor Sainsily. Guadeloupean visual effects artist compositor Karim Sahai of Weta Digital, New Zealand, has worked on the visual effects of many movies such as The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and The Waterhorse.

Music and dance are also very popular, and the widely accepted interaction of African, French and Indian cultures has given birth to some original new forms specific to the archipelago. Islanders enjoy many local dance styles including the quadrille "au commandement", zouk, zouk-love, kompa toumbélé, as well as all the modern international dances. Typical Guadeloupean music includes la biguine and gwo ka à la base. Kassav' and Admiral T embody the traditional and the new generation of music. Many international festivals take place in Guadeloupe, like the Creole Blues Festival, the Marie-Galante Festival, Festival Gwo-Ka Cotellon, etc. It goes without saying that all the Euro-French forms of art are also omnipresent in the melting pot.

Another element of the Guadeloupean culture is its dress. Women in particular have a unique style of traditional dresses, with many layers of colourful fabrics, now only worn on special occasions. On festive occasions they also wore a madras (originally the 'kerchief' from South India) head scarf tied in many different symbolic forms. The headdress could be done in many styles with names like the "bat" style, or the "firefighter" style, as well as the "Guadeloupean woman." Jewelry, mainly of gold, is also important in the Guadeloupean lady's dress, a product of European, African and Indian inspiration. Many famous couturiers like Devaed and Mondelo are Guadeloupeans.

Football (soccer) is popular in Guadeloupe. Thierry Henry, a star of the French National Team and Spanish League club FC Barcelona, often visits, as his father Antoine was originally from the island. William Gallas, whose parentage is Guadeloupean, visits the island when not playing for Arsenal or the French National team. Lilian Thuram, a star football defender for France and FC Barcelona, was born in Guadeloupe. The French national team and Everton F.C. striker, Louis Saha, is also of Guadeloupean descent, as is MK Dons goalkeeper Willy Gueret. Pascal Chimbonda of Tottenham was also born in Guadeloupe. The region's football team experienced recent success, advancing all the way to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals, where they were defeated just 1-0 by CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico. Many fine track and field athletes, such as Marie-José Perec, Patricia Girard-Léno, and Christine Arron are also Guadeloupe natives. The NBA players Mickaël Piétrus and Mickaël Gelabale were born in this island. Famed Bodybuilder Serge Nubret also hails from Guadeloupe.

In 2006 the GDP per capita of Guadeloupe at market exchange rates, not at PPP, was €17,338 (US$21,780).

The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, light industry and services. But it especially depends on France for large subsidies and imports.

Tourism is a key industry, with 83.3% of tourists visiting from metropolitan France, 10.8% coming from the rest of Europe, 3.4% coming from the United States, 1.5% coming from Canada, 0.4% coming from South America and 0.6% coming from the rest of the world. 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, guinnep, noni, sapotilla, paroka, pikinga, giraumon squash, yam, gourd, plantain, christophine, monbin, prunecafé, cocoa, jackfruit, pomegranate, and many varieties of 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, solar energy, and many industrial productions. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the youth. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy.

The country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guadeloupe is ".gp".

To the top

History of Guadeloupe

The earliest settlers on Guadeloupe arrived around 300 BC and developed agriculture on the island. They were removed by the more warlike Caribs. It was the Caribs who called the island "Karukera," which is roughly translated as "island with beautiful waters." They were also the tribe to meet all of the later settlers to the island.

Columbus' second journey brought him to this island on November 14, 1493. He named it for an image in a Spanish monastery he had visited: Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura, an image of the Virgin Mary venerated at Villuercas, in Guadalupe, Extremadura.

No settlements were established on the island for many years but it was used as a trading post. However, in 1635 the French Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique sent explorers to take control of the island. They succeeded, but nearly wiped out the Caribs in doing so. It was not annexed to the Kingdom of France until 1674.

From 1759 through 1763, as a part of the Seven Years' War, the British took control of the island and the main city Pointe-à-Pitre was established during these years. Proof of the island's importance came in 1763 when in the Treaty of Paris the French traded their territory in Canada to Britain in return for control of Guadeloupe.

The French Revolution also caused political turmoil, and control of Guadeloupe changed hands several times including 1789 and 1792. Slavery was abolished during this tumultuous time and within the year Britain had again occupied the island. Guadeloupe experienced the effects of the Reign of Terror from 1794 to 1798.

Meanwhile Louis Delgrès, a mulatto officer, led an uprising in 1802. He and 300 rebels chose to die rather than submit to the French army. Napoleon reinstated slavery when the French retook the island.

The British again held the island for three years beginning in 1810. It was ceded to Sweden in 1813 after the Napoleonic Wars. However, the Treaty of Paris in 1814 left the island to France again, though the British and Swedish did not fully acknowledge the secession. French control of the island was recognized in the Treaty of Vienna in 1815.

Like many Caribbean islands, Guadeloupe struggled with the end of slavery. In 1848, slavery was abolished completely. In place of the slaves, indentured servants were imported from India. The first indentured servants arrived in 1854.

A worldwide sugar slump began in 1870, hurting Guadeloupe's economy. Sugar was bolstered during the First World War. Guadeloupe was of little international concern between this time. Just after the war, in 1923, it exported its first bananas.

The protests initially began in Guadeloupe on 20 January 2009. An umbrella group of approximately fifty labour union and other associations known in the local Antillean Creole as the Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon (LKP) called for a 200 Euro ($260 USD) monthly pay increase for the island's low income workers. The protesters have proposed that authorities "lower business taxes as a top up to company finances" to pay for the 200 Euro pay raises. Employers and business leaders in Guadeloupe have said that they cannot afford the salary increase.

Approximately 50,000 Guadeloupeans have taken part in the demonstrations since the start of the strike. The Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon (LKP), which launched the protests, is also known as the "Stand up against exploitation" in English or the "Collectif contre l'exploitation outrancière" in French.

The government of France sent the Junior Minister of Overseas France Yves Jego to Guadeloupe to negotiate with disgruntled employees and protesters. He proposed a deal to increase the salaries of 45,000 Guadeloupean workers by about $300. However, Jego triggered much criticism among Guadeloupean strikers when he suddenly returned to Paris on Monday 9 February for a crisis meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

Jego's departure for the meeting in Paris with Prime Minister Fillon and other ministers was denounced by union leaders as a sign of "contempt" for LKP and their supporters during a time of crisis. Demonstrations erupted across Guadeloupe in response to Jego's trip to France. More than 10,000 people marched in Pointe-a-Pitre, the largest city in Guadeloupe, while an additional 1,500 protesters gathered in Basse-Terre, the capital city. Protesters chanted, "la Gwadloup se tan nou, la Gwadloup a pa ta yo, yo peke fe sa yo vle an peyi an nou," which translates to "Guadeloupe is ours, it is not theirs, they will not do what they want in our country." Demonstrators forced the closure of local stores and businesses in those cities. However, the stores reopened as soon as the protesters passed by.

Jego returned to Guadeloupe (and Martinique) later in the week, but Guadeloupean protesters remained angered by his perceived slight. A leader of the LKP, Élie Domota, told France Inter radio that, "The mediators have nothing new to tell us. They came supposedly to bring the parties closer together but they know nothing about the situation here. We are saying that the state has to help small Guadeloupe businesses to develop, to have access to bank credits, and also to pay for our wage increases." Jego's original proposal, which would have increased the salaries of at least 45,000 workers by nearly $300 USD per month, quickly fell apart. The unions demanded that the government alleviate extra cost by slashing payroll taxes. The French government flatly rejected the idea of cutting payroll taxes. The LKP thus suspended negotiations with mediators on Thursday 12 February 2009.

The ongoing weeks-long strikes have begun to affect daily life on Guadeloupe. The main shipping container terminal at the port in Pointe-à-Pitre was closed and barricaded by protesters. Most Guadeloupean banks, schools, and government offices have remained closed throughout the duration of the strike. All of Guadeloupe's 115 gas stations have been closed in response to the strike. The strikes have results in sporadic power outages and limited running water as utility workers have walked off their jobs to join the protests. The islands' 500,000 residents have been left with potential food shortages due to the closure of supermarkets and the halt of food imports.

The strikes have hit at the height of Guadeloupe's main tourism season. Guadeloupe depends on tourists, especially from France, for a significant portion of its economic income. Several hotels have temporarily closed and charter flights from France and other parts of the Caribbean have been canceled. Club Méditerranée, known more widely as Club Med, closed its main hotel on Guadeloupe in late January. An estimated 15,000 French tourists have canceled their vacations to Guadeloupe so far as a result of the strike.

Guadeloupe's main airport, Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport, was closed because debris was thrown on the runway, causing American Airlines to cancel all flights. Protesters wearing hooded sweatshirts burned pallets and trashcans to block roads around the southern town of Le Gosier. Cars and trees were set on fire in the centre of Pointe-à-Pitre. A group of about sixty protesters clashed with two squadrons of police, who responded by firing tear gas.

Police arrested approximately fifty people on Monday night after protesters threw stones at them as the police tried to remove makeshift barricades in Pointe-à-Pitre. Most of those who were detained were later released after large crowds gathered outside the city's main police station.

Armed "youths" manning a makeshift roadblock shot and killed a local union representative in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre just after midnight on Wednesday, February 18. The victim, Jacques Bino, a 50 year old tax agent and union member who was returning home from protests elsewhere, was the first person killed during the strike. Bino's car was hit three times by 12-gauge Brenneke-style shotgun slugs.

The situation across the island continued to deteriorate throughout the day on Wednesday, February 18th. The mayor of Pointe-a-Pitre, Jacques Bangou, reported that three policemen were wounded by gunfire in the Cite Henri IV section of the city. Police fired tear gas to break up rioters, but Mayor Bangou told the AFP that there were still "exchanges of gunfire" in the neighborhood. A corespondent for AFP reported hearing more "blasts" in the city just before 0400 GMT on Wednesday. Elsewhere, looters attacked a shopping center and ransacked a perfumeria and a tire store. A number of police officers were also injured when a group of up to 100 youths "rampaged" though the commercial district of Destrelland in the town of Baie-Mahault and fired guns at police, according to Baie-Mahault's mayor, Ary Chalus.

More than 500 French police officers arrived in Guadeloupe on February 19th in an attempt to quell the ongoing violence following Bino's death. The deployment occurred after a third straight night of violence. Dozens of police officers landed in the southern town of Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe, where protesting youths stormed and occupied the town's city hall. Sainte-Anne Mayor Richard Yacou said that the city hall was not damaged, but nearby businesses in the town were looted and burned. Rioter also fired weapons at police and burned at least five stores and restaurants in Le Gosier. Police dismantled the barricades leading to the main airport, which allowed tourists to leave the island.

Though Guadeloupe has been relatively peaceful, political changes have not always been easy. A compulsory work program was instituted by the Vichy government under Governor Sorin between 1940 and 1943.

In 1946, after another change of political power, Guadeloupe became an overseas Department of France. Other French Caribbean islands were added to this Department and in 1995 Guadeloupe became an observer in the Association of Caribbean States.

To the top

Guadeloupe national football team

The Guadeloupe national football team (French: sélection de la Guadeloupe de football) is the regional team of the French overseas department and region of Guadeloupe and is controlled by the Ligue Guadeloupéenne de Football, local branch of Federation Francaise de Football. As an overseas department of the French Republic Guadeloupe is not a member of FIFA, and therefore is not eligible to enter the World Cup. However, they are eligible for all CONCACAF and CFU competitions.

Guadeloupe was a surprise qualifier for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007 after a strong 4th place finish at the Digicel Caribbean Cup 2007. They continued their strong play throughout the year at the Gold Cup. Their success at the Gold Cup was so surpring because it was their first major international tournament. They started out by tying 1-1 to the strong Caribbean team of Haiti, followed by a 2-1 win over Canada, before finally succumbing 1-0 to the reigning champions of Central America, Costa Rica, to close out group play. Guadeloupe advanced to the knockout round as the best performing 3rd place team in group play. In the quarterfinals they shocked Honduras by defeating them 2-1, who themselves had put together a strong tournament showing after beating Mexico 2-1 and dominating Cuba 5-0. The Cinderellas of the tournament, Guadeloupe, unable to mount much offense against regional power Mexico, lost 0-1 in the semifinal despite turning in a strong defensive performance. This was the best finish by a Caribbean island team since Trinidad and Tobago reached the semifinals of the 2000 tournament.

Guadeloupe squad for Caribbean Championships 2008.

To the top

Guadeloupe National Park

Guadeloupe National Park (French: Parc national de la Guadeloupe) is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve (French: Réserve Naturelle du Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin) is a marine protected area adjacent to the park and administered in conjunction with it. Together, these protected areas comprise the Guadeloupe Archipelago (French: l'Archipel de la Guadeloupe) biosphere reserve.

The General Council of Guadeloupe created the Guadeloupe Natural Park in 1970 to recognize the exceptional biodiversity of Basse-Terre's tropical forest and mountain massif. Although it was initially placed under the management of the National Forests Office, proposals emerged in 1977 to establish a national park, in order to improve management and control of the park lands. These proposals came to fruition on 20 February 1989 with the official establishment of Guadeloupe National Park.

The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve was established in 1987, and subsequently placed under the management of the park.

In 1992, Guadeloupe National Park achieved international recognition when the core area of the park and the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve were designated as an international biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

For most of its history, it was the only French national park outside of metropolitan France. However, it lost that distinction with the 2007 creation of Reunion National Park (Réunion) and Guiana Amazonian Park (French Guiana).

The boundaries of the national park encompass a core area of 173 square kilometres (43,000 acres), and a buffer zone of 162 square kilometres (40,000 acres). The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve comprises 21 square kilometres (5,200 acres) marine, and 16 square kilometres (4,000 acres) terrestrial.

The core area encompasses 10% of the total territory of Guadeloupe, two-thirds of Basse-Terre's tropical forest, and covers a range of elevations from approximately 250 metres (820 ft) to the summit of the mountain massif at 1,467 metres (4,810 ft). The highest point in the park is the summit of La Soufrière, an active volcano. Other notable peaks include: Échelle (1,397 m (4,580 ft)), Grand-Sans-Toucher (1,354 m (4,440 ft)), and the twin side-by-side summits of the Mamelles (768 m (2,520 ft)).

The park's tropical rainforest varies in its character and species among several sub-ecosystems, depending heavily on elevation.

Vegetation in the coastal zone faces the challenges of salinity in the air and soil, intense heat from the sun and its drying effect, and the constant wind. Notable plant species in this environment include seagrape and pear.

The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve includes coastal wetland forests that are flooded either permanently or intermittently by fresh or salt water, comprising nearly half of Guadeloupe's mangrove swamps (37 square kilometres (9,100 acres) of 80 square kilometres (20,000 acres)).

Due to intensive hunting during an earlier period in Guadeloupe's history, animal life in the park is limited in diversity and in populations. Some species, including parrots and parakeets, have been eradicated altogether.

The most commonly seen mammals in the park are the Guadeloupe raccoon, bats (two species of which are endemic to Guadeloupe), mongooses (introduced from India), and the endangered agouti.

Birds are more numerous than mammals, and the visitor may encounter hummingbirds, frigatebirds, thrushes, partridges, pigeons, tyrant flycatchers, pelicans, endemic Guadeloupe woodpeckers, and others.

Some sea turtles are found.

Aquatic and marine life includes big-claw river shrimp and crabs.

Insects are indubitably the most plentiful creatures in the park, their exceptional diversity resulting in a number of surprising forms. Some attain great size, such as Hercules beetles, the duppy bats (black witch moths), and walking sticks.

To the top