{"id":5283,"date":"2020-06-21T04:00:29","date_gmt":"2020-06-21T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2020-06-22T03:06:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T03:06:28","slug":"guadeloupe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/guadeloupe\/","title":{"rendered":"Guadeloupe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Guadeloupe is an archipelago forming an overseas region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands, Basse-Terre<\/a>, Grande-Terre<\/a>, Marie-Galante<\/a>, La D\u00e9sirade<\/a>, and the \u00celes des Saintes<\/a>, as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings. It lies south of Antigua and Barbuda<\/a> and Montserrat<\/a>, and north of Dominica<\/a>. Its capital is Basse-Terre on the southern west coast; however, the largest city is Les Abymes<\/a> and the main city is Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Guadeloupe on the Globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like the other overseas departments, it is an integral part of France. As a constituent territory of the European Union<\/a> and the Eurozone<\/a>, the euro<\/a> is its official currency and any European Union citizen is free to settle and work there indefinitely. As an overseas department, however, it is not part of the Schengen Area<\/a>. The official language is French<\/a>; Antillean Creole<\/a> is also spoken.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Pre-Colonial Era:<\/h3>\n

The islands were first populated by indigenous peoples of the Americas, possibly as far back as 3000 BC. The Arawak<\/a> people are the first identifiable group; however, they were later displaced circa 1400 AD by Kalina-Carib peoples<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ancient Petroglyph in Baillif<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arrival of Europeans:<\/h3>\n

Christopher Columbus<\/a> was the first European to see Guadeloupe, landing in November 1493 and giving it its current name. Several attempts at colonization by the Spanish in the 16th century failed due to attacks from the native Caribs peoples.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Columbus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1626 the French under Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc<\/a> began to take an interest in Guadeloupe, expelling Spanish settlers. The Compagnie des \u00celes de l’Am\u00e9rique<\/a> settled in Guadeloupe in 1635, under the direction of Charles Li\u00e9nard de L’Olive<\/a> and Jean du Plessis d’Ossonville<\/a>; they formally took possession of the island for France and brought in French farmers to colonize the land. This led to the death of many Caribs by disease and violence. By 1640, however, the Compagnie des \u00celes de l’Am\u00e9rique had gone bankrupt, and they thus sold Guadeloupe to Charles Hou\u00ebl du Petit Pr\u00e9<\/a> who began plantation agriculture, with the first African slaves arriving in 1650. Ownership of the island then passed to the French West India Company<\/a> before it was annexed to France in 1674 under the tutelage of their Martinique colony. Institutionalized slavery, enforced by the Code Noir<\/a> from 1685, led to a booming sugar plantation economy.<\/p>\n

18th-19th Centuries:<\/h3>\n

During the Seven Years’ Wa<\/a>r the English occupied Guadeloupe from the time of 1759 British Invasion of Guadeloupe<\/a> until the 1763 Treaty of Paris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
1759 Invasion of Guadeloupe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During this time Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre became a major harbor, and markets in Britain’s North American colonies were opened to Guadeloupean sugar which was traded for cheap food and lumber. The economy expanded quickly, creating vast wealth for the European colonists. During this time about 18,000 slaves were imported to Guadeloupe. So prosperous was Guadeloupe at the time that under the 1763 Treaty of Paris France forfeited its Canadian colonies in exchange for Guadeloupe. Coffee planting began in the late 1720’s, also worked by slaves, and by 1775 cocoa had also become a major export product.<\/p>\n

The 1789 French Revolution<\/a> brought chaos to Guadeloupe. Under new revolutionary law free people of color were entitled to equal rights. Taking advantage of the anarchic political situation, Britain invaded Guadeloupe in 1794, to which the French responded by sending in soldiers led by Victor Hugues<\/a>, who retook the lands and abolished slavery. In the Reign of Terror<\/a> that followed more than 1,000 colonists were killed.<\/p>\n

In 1802 the First French Empire<\/a> reinstated the pre-revolutionary government and slavery, prompting a slave rebellion led by Louis Delgr\u00e8s.<\/a> The French authorities responded quickly, culminating in the Battle of Matouba on 28 May 1802. Realizing they had no chance of success, Delgr\u00e8s and his followers committed mass suicide by deliberately exploding their gunpowder stores. In 1810 the British again seized the island<\/a>, handing it over to Sweden<\/a> in 1813.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The 1810 Attack upon Guadeloupe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Treaty of Paris of 1814<\/a>, Sweden ceded Guadeloupe to France, giving rise to the Guadeloupe Fund<\/a>. In 1815 the Treaty of Vienna<\/a> definitively acknowledged French control of Guadeloupe.<\/p>\n

Slavery was abolished in the French Empire in 1848. From 1854 indentured servants from the French colony of Pondicherry<\/a> in India<\/a> were brought in. Emancipated slaves had the vote from 1849, but French nationality and the vote was not granted to Indian citizens until 1923, thanks largely to the efforts of Henry Sidambarom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

20th-21st Centuries:<\/h3>\n

In 1936 F\u00e9lix \u00c9bou\u00e9<\/a> became the first black governor of Guadeloupe. During the Second World War Guadeloupe initially came under the control of the Vichy government<\/a>, later joining Free France<\/a> in 1943. In 1946, the colony of Guadeloupe became an overseas department of France.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Felix \u00c9bou\u00e9 with Charles DeGaulle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tensions arose in the post-war era over the social structure of Guadeloupe and its relationship with mainland France. The ‘Massacre of St Valentine’ occurred in 1952, when striking factory workers in Le Moule<\/a> were shot at by the Compagnies r\u00e9publicaines de s\u00e9curit\u00e9,<\/a> resulting in four deaths. In May 1967 racial tensions exploded into rioting following a racist attack on a black Guadeloupean, resulting in eight deaths.<\/p>\n

An independence movement grew in the 1970s, prompting France to declare Guadeloupe a French region in 1974. The Union populaire pour la lib\u00e9ration de la Guadeloupe (UPLG) campaigned for complete independence, and by the 1980s the situation had turned violent with the actions of groups such as Groupe de lib\u00e9ration arm\u00e9e (GLA) and Alliance r\u00e9volutionnaire cara\u00efbe (ARC).<\/p>\n

Greater autonomy was granted to Guadeloupe in 2000. Through a referendum in 2003<\/a>, Saint-Marti<\/a>n and Saint Barth\u00e9lemy<\/a> voted to separate from the administrative jurisdiction of Guadeloupe, this being fully enacted by 2007.<\/p>\n

In January 2009, labor unions and others known as the Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon<\/a> went on strike<\/a> for more pay. Strikers were angry with low wages, the high cost of living, high levels of poverty relative to mainland France and levels of unemployment that are amongst the worst in the European Union. The situation quickly escalated, exacerbated by what was seen as an ineffectual response by the French government, turning violent and prompting the deployment of extra police after a union leader (Jacques Bino<\/a>) was shot and killed. The strike lasted 44 days and had also inspired similar actions on nearby Martinique. President Nicolas Sarkozy<\/a> later visited the island, promising reform. Tourism suffered greatly during this time and affected the 2010 tourist season as well.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Guadeloupe is an archipelago of more than 12 islands, as well as islets and rocks situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea<\/a> meets the western Atlantic Ocean<\/a>. It is located in the Leeward Islands<\/a> in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles<\/a>, a partly volcanic island arc. To the north lies Antigua and Barbuda and the British Oversea Territory of Montserrat, with Dominica lying to the south.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Map of Guadeloupe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The main two islands are Basse-Terre (west) and Grande-Terre (east), which form a butterfly shape as viewed from above, the two ‘wings’ of which are separated by the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin, Rivi\u00e8re Sal\u00e9e and Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin. More than half of Guadeloupe’s land surface consists of the 847.8 km2 Basse-Terre. The island is mountainous, containing such peaks as Mount Sans Toucher (4,442 feet; 1,354 metres) and Grande D\u00e9couverte (4,143 feet; 1,263 metres), culminating in the active volcano La Grande Soufri\u00e8re<\/a>, the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles with an elevation of 1,467 metres (4,813 ft).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
La Grande Soufri\u00e8re<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In contrast Grande-Terre is mostly flat, with rocky coasts to the north, irregular hills at the centre, mangrove at the southwest, and white sand beaches sheltered by coral reefs along the southern shore. This is where the main tourist resorts are found.<\/p>\n

Marie-Galante is the third-largest island, followed by La D\u00e9sirade, a north-east slanted limestone plateau, the highest point of which is 275 metres (902 ft). To the south lies the \u00celes de Petite-Terre, which are two islands (Terre de Haut<\/a> and Terre de Bas<\/a>) totalling 2 km2.<\/p>\n

Les Saintes is an archipelago of eight islands of which two, Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut are inhabited. The landscape is similar to that of Basse-Terre, with volcanic hills and irregular shoreline with deep bays.<\/p>\n

There are numerous other smaller islands, most notably T\u00eate \u00e0 l’Anglais, \u00celet \u00e0 Kahouanne, \u00celet \u00e0 Fajou, \u00celet Macou, \u00celet aux Foux, \u00celets de Car\u00e9nage, La Biche, \u00celet Crabi\u00e8re, \u00celets \u00e0 Goyaves, \u00celet \u00e0 Cochons, \u00celet \u00e0 Boissard, \u00celet \u00e0 Chasse and \u00celet du Gosier.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, light industry and services. It is reliant upon mainland France for large subsidies and imports and public administration is the largest single employer on the islands. Unemployment is especially high among the youth population.<\/p>\n

Tourism is the one of the most prominent sources of income, with most visitors coming from France and North America. An increasingly large number of cruise ships visit Guadeloupe, the cruise terminal of which is in Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre.<\/p>\n

The traditional sugar cane<\/a> crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant<\/a>, guinnep<\/a>, noni<\/a>, sapotilla<\/a>, giraumon squash<\/a>, yam<\/a>, gourd<\/a>, plantain<\/a>, christophine<\/a>, cocoa<\/a>, jackfruit<\/a>, pomegranate<\/a>, and many varieties of flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is dependent upon imported food, mainly from the rest of France.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Guadeloupe Bananas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of the various light industries, sugar and rum production, solar energy, cement, furniture and clothing are the most prominent. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Guadeloupe is served by a number of airports; most international flights use Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre International Airport<\/a>. Boats and cruise ships frequent the islands, using the ports at Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre and Basse-Terre.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Road on Marie-Galante<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On 9 September 2013 the county government voted in favour of constructing a tramway in Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre. The first phase will link northern Abymes to downtown Pointe-\u00e0-Pitre by 2019. The second phase, scheduled for completion in 2023, will extend the line to serve the university.<\/p>\n

Flag of Guadeloupe:<\/h2>\n

Guadeloupe has no flag with official status other than the French national flag.<\/p>\n

A locally used unofficial flag, based on the coat of arms of Guadeloupe’s capital Basse-Terre has a black or red field with a yellow sun and a green sugar cane, and a blue stripe with yellow fleurs-de-lis on the top.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Black Version Unofficial Flag of Guadeloupe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Red Version of Unofficial Guadeloupe Flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guadeloupe has no flag with official status other than the French national flag. <\/p>\n

A locally used unofficial flag, based on the coat of arms of Guadeloupe’s capital Basse-Terre has a black or red field with a yellow sun and a green sugar cane, and a blue stripe with yellow fleurs-de-lis on the top.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[66,32,59,5,27,11,6,7,29,41,18,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}