Guadeloupe

For other uses, see Guadalupe.

Guadeloupe
Gwadloup (Guadeloupean Creole French)
Overseas department and region of France and outermost region of the European Union
Flag of Guadeloupe
Flag
Official seal of Guadeloupe
Logo
Anthem: La Marseillaise
("The Marseillaise")
Location in the Lesser Antilles
Location in the Lesser Antilles
Coordinates: 16°15′N 61°30′W / 16.250°N 61.500°W / 16.250; -61.500
Country France
PrefectureBasse-Terre
Largest metropolitan areaPointe-à-Pitre
French colony1648
English occupation1759
Restitution to France10 February 1763
Second English occupation1782
Second restitution to France30 May 1814 a
Communes32
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilGuy Losbar[1]
 • President of the Regional CouncilAry Chalus
Area
 • Total
1,628 km2 (629 sq mi)
 • Rank16th region
Highest elevation
(La Grande Soufriere)
1,467 m (4,813 ft)
Population
 (1 January 2024)[2]
 • Total
378,561
 • Density230/km2 (600/sq mi)
DemonymGuadeloupean
GDP
[3]
 • Total€9.462 billion
 • Per capita€22,500
Time zoneUTC-4:00 (AST)
Area code+590
ISO 3166 code
Internet TLD
Ethnic groups
Languages
CurrencyEuro (€) (EUR)
Websitewww.guadeloupe.pref.gouv.fr
www.nic.gp
a Not effective until 1816.

Guadeloupe (/ˌɡwɑːdəˈluːp/; French: [ɡwad(ə)lup] ⓘ; Guadeloupean Creole French: Gwadloup, IPA: [ɡwadlup]) is an overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean.[4] 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.[5] 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.[4] It had a population of 395,726 in 2024.[2]

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.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Estimation de population par région, sexe et grande classe d'âge – Années 1975 à 2024" (in French). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  3. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Encyclopedia Britannica – Guadeloupe". Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b "CIA World Factbook (2006) – Guadeloupe". Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2019.