Editing Guadeloupe

{{Short description|Overseas department of France in the Caribbean}}
{{Other uses|Guadalupe (disambiguation){{!}}Guadalupe}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name               = Guadeloupe
| official_name      = Region of Guadeloupe<br />{{native name|gcf|Réjyon Gwadloup}}<nowiki>}}</nowiki>
| native_name        = {{native name|gcf|Gwadloup}}
| native_name_lang   = gcf
| settlement_type    = [[Overseas departments and regions of France|Overseas department and region]] of [[France]] and [[Special territories of members of the European Economic Area#Outermost Regions|outermost region]] of the [[European Union]]
| image_map          = Guadeloupe in France 2016.svg
| map_caption        = Location in the [[Lesser Antilles]]
| image_map1         = Guadeloupe map.png
| map_caption1       = 
| mapframe           = No
| image_flag         = Flag of Guadeloupe.svg
| flag_size          = 100
| image_seal         = Guadaloupe_logo.svg
| seal_size          = 90
| seal_type          = Logo
| seal_link          = Coat of arms of Guadeloupe
| image_coat         = 
| motto              = 
| anthem             = {{lang|fr|[[La Marseillaise]]}}<br />("The Marseillaise")<br />{{center|[[File:La Marseillaise.ogg]]}}
| coordinates        = {{Coord|16|15|N|61|30|W|type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Sovereign state
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|France}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Basse-Terre]]
| subdivision_type2  = Largest metropolitan area
| subdivision_name2  = [[Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| seat_type          = 
| seat               = 
| parts_type         = [[Communes of the Guadeloupe department|Communes]]
| parts_style        = <!-- list, coll (collapsed list), para (paragraph format) -->
| parts              = 32
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title1      = [[Departmental Council of Guadeloupe|President of the Departmental Council]]
| leader_name1       = Guy Losbar<ref>{{cite web |title=Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux |url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/601ef073-d986-4582-8e1a-ed14dc857fba |website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises |date=4 May 2022 |language=fr |access-date=14 July 2022 |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213042708/https://static.data.gouv.fr/resources/repertoire-national-des-elus-1/20231130-131054/elus-conseillers-departementaux-cd.csv |url-status=live}}</ref>
| leader_title2      = [[Regional Council of Guadeloupe|President of the Regional Council]]
| leader_name2       = [[Ary Chalus]]
| established_title  = French colony
| established_date   = 1648
| established_title1 = British occupation
| established_date1  = 1759
| established_title2 = Restitution to France
| established_date2  = [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|10 February 1763]]
| established_title3 = Second British occupation
| established_date3  = 1782
| established_title4 = Second restitution to France
| established_date4  = [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|30 May 1814]] <sup>a</sup>
| area_total_km2     = 1628
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_rank          = 16th region
| elevation_max_m    = 1467
| elevation_max_point = [[La Grande Soufriere]]
| population_total   = 378,561
| population_as_of   = 1 January 2024
| population_footnotes = <ref name=pop>{{Cite web |title=Estimation de population par région, sexe et grande classe d'âge – Années 1975 à 2024 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/7752095/estim-pop-nreg-sexe-gca-1975-2024.xls |access-date=17 January 2024 |language=fr}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = Guadeloupean
| timezone           = [[Atlantic Time Zone|AST]]
| utc_offset         = -4:00
| timezone1_DST      = 
| utc_offset1_DST    = 
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en |title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat |access-date=18 September 2023 |archive-date=27 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227213552/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en |url-status=live}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = €9.462 billion
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = €22,500
| area_code_type     = <!-- defaults to: Area code(s) -->
| area_code          = [[+590]]
| code1_name         = [[Country code top-level domain|Internet TLD]]
| code1_info         = {{unbulleted list |[[.fr]] | [[.gp]]}}
| blank_name_sec1    = Ethnic groups
| blank_info_sec1    = {{unbulleted list |[[Afro-Caribbean]] [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]] | [[Mulatto]] | [[Mixed-race]]|[[Indo-Guadeloupeans|Indians]]|[[Haitians]]|[[Dominicans]]}}
| blank1_name_sec1   = Languages
| blank1_info_sec1   = {{Plainlist|* [[French language|French]]
* [[Guadeloupe Creole|Guadeloupe Creole]]}}
| blank_name_sec2    = Currency
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]]) ([[ISO 4217|EUR]])
| iso_code           = {{hlist|[[ISO 3166-2:GP|GP]] | [[ISO 3166-2:FR|FR-971]]}}
| website            = {{URL|www.guadeloupe.pref.gouv.fr/}}<br />{{URL|www.nic.gp/}}
| footnotes          = <sup>a</sup> Not effective until 1816.
}}

'''Guadeloupe'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɡ|w|ɑː|d|ə|ˈ|l|uː|p}} {{respell|GWAHD-ə-LOOP}}; {{IPA|fr|ɡwad(ə)lup|lang|fr-Guadeloupe.ogg}}; {{langx|gcf|Gwadloup}} {{IPA|gcf|ɡwadlup|}}}} is an [[Overseas departments and regions of France|overseas department and region of France]] in the [[Caribbean]].<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Guadeloupe |title=Encyclopedia Britannica – Guadeloupe |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403223745/https://www.britannica.com/place/Guadeloupe |url-status=live}}</ref> It consists of six inhabited islands—[[Basse-Terre Island|Basse-Terre]], [[Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe|Grande-Terre]], [[Marie-Galante]], [[La Désirade]], and two [[Îles des Saintes]]—as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings.<ref name=factbook>{{cite web |url=http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/countries/atlas/guadeloupe.html |title=CIA World Factbook (2006) – Guadeloupe |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225231736/http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/countries/atlas/guadeloupe.html |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="britannica.com" /> It had a population of 395,726 in 2024.<ref name=pop />

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 [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]] until 2007, when they were detached from Guadeloupe following a [[2003 Guadeloupean autonomy referendum|2003 referendum]].

[[Christopher Columbus]] visited Guadeloupe in 1493 and gave the island its name. The official language is French; [[Antillean Creole]] is also spoken.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref name=factbook />

== Etymology ==
[[File:Virgenguadalupe.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Our Lady of Guadalupe in the [[Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe]], after whom the island gets its name]]
The archipelago was called {{lang|awd|Karukera}} (or "The Island of Beautiful Waters") by the native [[Arawak]] people.<ref name="britannica.com" />

[[Christopher Columbus]] named the island {{lang|es|Santa María de Guadalupe}} in 1493 after [[Our Lady of Guadalupe in Extremadura|Our Lady of Guadalupe]], a shrine to the [[Virgin Mary]] venerated in the Spanish town of [[Guadalupe, Cáceres|Guadalupe]], Extremadura.<ref name="britannica.com" /> When the area became a French colony, the Spanish name was retained – though altered to [[French orthography]] and [[French phonology|phonology]]. The islands are locally known as {{lang|gcf|Gwada}}.<ref name="cnn">{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe: These tiny islands are the French Caribbean's greatest secret |date=16 April 2018 |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/guadeloupe-what-to-do-and-see/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=14 July 2022 |quote=[...] Gwada, as locals call Guadeloupe [...]. |archive-date=12 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174104/http://www.cnn.com/travel/article/guadeloupe-what-to-do-and-see/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Pre-colonial era ===
[[File:Petroglyphe Plessis3.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Ancient [[petroglyph]] in [[Baillif]]]]
The islands were first populated by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas]], possibly as far back as 3000 BC.<ref name="region">{{cite web |title=Gaudeloupe, a land of history |url=https://www.regionguadeloupe.fr/guadeloupe-regional-council/guadeloupe-a-land-of-history/#_ |website=Region Guadeloupe |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-date=30 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230174838/https://www.regionguadeloupe.fr/guadeloupe-regional-council/guadeloupe-a-land-of-history/#_ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Siegel et al – ''Analyse préliminaire de prélèvements sédimentaires en provenance de Marie-Galante''. Bilan scientifique 2006–2008. Service régional de l’archéologie Guadeloupe- Saint-Martin – Saint-Barthélemy 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Paleoenvironmental evidence for first human colonization of the eastern Caribbean |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283329730 |pages=275–295<!--endif p.totales--> |year=2015 |bibcode=2015QSRv..129..275S |issn=0277-3791 |last1=Siegel |first1=Peter E. |last2=Jones |first2=John G. |last3=Pearsall |first3=Deborah M. |last4=Dunning |first4=Nicholas P. |last5=Farrell |first5=Pat |last6=Duncan |first6=Neil A. |last7=Curtis |first7=Jason H. |last8=Singh |first8=Sushant K. |volume=129 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.014}}.</ref> The [[Arawak]] people are the first identifiable group, but they were later displaced {{circa|1400}} by [[Kalina people|Kalina]]-Carib peoples.<ref name="britannica.com" />

=== 15th–17th centuries ===
Christopher Columbus was the first European to see Guadeloupe, landing in November 1493 and giving it its current name.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Several attempts at colonisation by the Spanish in the 16th century failed due to attacks from the Native peoples.<ref name="britannica.com" /> In 1626, the French, under the trader and adventurer [[Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc]], began to take an interest in Guadeloupe, expelling Spanish settlers.<ref name="britannica.com" /> The [[Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique]] settled in Guadeloupe in 1635, under the direction of the French colonial leaders [[Charles Liénard de L'Olive]] and [[Jean du Plessis d'Ossonville]]; they formally took possession of the island for France and brought in French farmers to colonise the land. This led to the death of many Indigenous people by disease and violence.<ref name="ait">{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe from precolumbian times until today |url=http://www.antilles-info-tourisme.com/guadeloupe/histogb.htm |website=Antilles Info Tourisme |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-date=15 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515174134/http://www.antilles-info-tourisme.com/guadeloupe/histogb.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> By 1640, however, the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique had gone bankrupt, and they thus sold Guadeloupe to [[Charles Houël du Petit Pré]] who began [[plantation]] agriculture, with the first African slaves arriving in 1650.<ref name="worldatlas" /><ref>La Guadeloupe: renseignements sur l'histoire, la flore, la faune, la géologie, la minéralogie, l'agriculture, le commerce, l'industrie, la législation, l'administration, Volume 1, Partie 2, de Jules Ballet (Imprimerie du gouvernement, 1895) (in French)</ref> Slave resistance was immediately widespread, with an open uprising in 1656 lasting several weeks and a simultaneous spate of mass desertions that lasted at least two years until the French compelled indigenous peoples to stop assisting them.<ref>{{cite book |author=Gwendolyn Midlo Hall |date=1971 |title=Social Control in Slave Plantation Societies: A Comparison of St. Domingue and Cuba |url=https://archive.org/details/socialcontrolins0000hall |publisher=The Johns Hopkins Press |pages=62–63 |isbn=0-8018-1252-6}}</ref> Ownership of the island passed to the [[French West India Company]] before it was annexed to France in 1674 under the tutelage of their Martinique colony.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Institutionalised slavery, enforced by the [[Code Noir]] from 1685, led to a booming sugar [[plantation]] economy.<ref name="caribya">{{cite web |title=History of Guadeloupe |url=http://caribya.com/guadeloupe/history/ |website=caribya! |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416233806/http://caribya.com/guadeloupe/history/ |archive-date=16 April 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 18th–19th centuries ===

During the [[Seven Years' War]], [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] forces [[Invasion of Guadeloupe (1759)|captured]] and occupied the islands until the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|1763 Treaty of Paris]].<ref name="britannica.com" /> During that time, [[Pointe-à-Pitre]] became a major harbour, and markets in [[British America]] were opened to Guadeloupean sugar, which was traded for foodstuffs and timber. The economy expanded quickly, creating vast wealth for the French colonists.<ref name="lp">{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe > History |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/guadeloupe/background/history/a/nar/4ac48e5e-dc54-42ad-a21c-39c9a1071157/358055 |publisher=Lonely Planet |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416233804/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/guadeloupe/background/history/a/nar/4ac48e5e-dc54-42ad-a21c-39c9a1071157/358055 |url-status=live}}</ref> So prosperous was Guadeloupe at the time that, under the 1763 Treaty of Paris, France forfeited its [[New France|Canadian colonies]] in exchange for the return of Guadeloupe.<ref name="worldatlas" /><ref name="ooth">{{cite web |title=Treaty of Paris, 1763 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/treaty-of-paris |website=Office of the Historian |publisher=United States Government |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-date=11 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411040534/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/treaty-of-paris |url-status=live}}</ref> Coffee planting began in the late 1720s,<ref>Auguste Lacour, ''Histoire de la Guadeloupe'', vol. 1 (1635–1789). Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 1855 [https://books.google.com/books?id=Cch7AAAAMAAJ full text at Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213042713/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cch7AAAAMAAJ |date=13 December 2023 }}, p. 236''ff''.</ref> also worked by slaves and, by 1775, [[cocoa bean|cocoa]] had become a major export product as well.<ref name="worldatlas" />

[[File:Combat naval 12 avril 1782-Dumoulin-IMG 5484.JPG|thumb|The [[Battle of the Saintes]] was fought between France and Britain in 1782.]]

The [[French Revolution]] brought chaos to Guadeloupe. Under new revolutionary law, [[Free person of color|freedmen]] were entitled to equal rights. Taking advantage of the chaotic political situation, Britain [[Invasion of Guadeloupe (1794)|captured Guadeloupe]] in 1794. The French responded by sending an expeditionary force under [[Victor Hugues]], which retook the colony by December and abolished slavery.<ref name="britannica.com" /> More than 1,000 French colonists were killed in the aftermath.<ref name="lp" />

[[File:Buste de Louis Delgrès à Matouba.JPG|thumb|right|Bust of Louis Delgrès, leader of the 1802 slave rebellion]]

In 1802, a French expeditionary force under [[Antoine Richepanse]] arrived in Guadeloupe, prompting a rebellion led by Black officers who had until then been the ''de facto'' rulers of the colony.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Richepanse and his troops acted quickly against the rebels, culminating in the [[Battle of Matouba]] on 28 May 1802. Realising they had no chance of success, [[Louis Delgrès]] and his followers committed mass suicide by deliberately exploding their gunpowder stores. A consular decree published on 6 July 1802 discreetly ordered the reestablishment of slavery in Guadeloupe.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Slave women and Resistance in the French Caribbean |first=Bernard |last=Moitt |journal=More Than Chattel: Black Women and Slavery in the Americas |editor=David Barry Gaspar |page=[https://archive.org/details/morethanchattelb0000unse/page/243 243] |year=1996 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=0-253-33017-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/morethanchattelb0000unse/page/243}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mmoe.llc.ed.ac.uk/en/memory/memorial-homage-delgr%C3%A8s-basse-terre |title=Memorial in homage to Delgrès – Basse Terre – Cartographie des Mémoires de l'Esclavage |publisher=University of Edinburgh |access-date=13 August 2018 |archive-date=10 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110021156/https://www.mmoe.llc.ed.ac.uk/en/memory/memorial-homage-delgr%C3%A8s-basse-terre |url-status=dead}}</ref> An insurgency against the French, who officially reestablished slavery in Guadeloupe on 14 May 1803, continued until 1804. In 1810, the British [[Invasion of Guadeloupe (1810)|captured the island again]], handing it over to Sweden under the [[Treaty of Stockholm (1813)|1813 Treaty of Stockholm]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lindqvist |first=Herman |date=2015 |title=Våra kolonier: de vi hade och de som aldrig blev av |publisher=Albert Bonniers Förlag |page=232 |isbn=9789100155346|language=sv}}</ref>

In the [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|1814 Treaty of Paris]], Sweden ceded Guadeloupe to France, giving rise to the [[Guadeloupe Fund]]. In 1815, the [[Treaty of Vienna (1815)|Treaty of Vienna]] acknowledged French control of Guadeloupe.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref name="worldatlas">{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe History Timeline |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/guadeloupe/gptimeln.htm |website=World Atlas |access-date=3 June 2019 |archive-date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603192827/https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/guadeloupe/gptimeln.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Slavery]] was abolished in the French Empire in 1848.<ref name="britannica.com" /> After 1854, [[indentured labourer]]s from the French colony of [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]] in India were brought in.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/remembering-the-journey-to-guadeloupe/article6366891.ece |title=Remembering the journey to Guadeloupe |author=Annie Philip |work=The Hindu |date=31 August 2014 |access-date=17 January 2023 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117043914/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/remembering-the-journey-to-guadeloupe/article6366891.ece |url-status=live}}</ref> Emancipated slaves had the vote from 1849, but French nationality and the vote were not granted to Indian citizens until 1923, when a long campaign, led by [[Henry Sidambarom]], finally achieved success.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.topnews.in/law/remote-french-island-reconnects-india-264156 |title=A remote French Island reconnects with India &#124; TopNews |website=topnews.in |access-date=13 May 2021 |archive-date=13 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513093822/https://www.topnews.in/law/remote-french-island-reconnects-india-264156 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 20th–21st centuries ===
In 1936, [[Félix Éboué]] became the first black governor of Guadeloupe.<ref>{{cite web |title=DOSSIER DE PRESSE |url=http://www.guyane.cci.fr/fr/content/download/1857/11808/file/Dossier%20de%20presse%20FE.pdf |author=Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de la Guyane |access-date=24 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924024324/http://www.guyane.cci.fr/fr/content/download/1857/11808/file/Dossier%20de%20presse%20FE.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}.</ref><ref>The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Félix Éboué". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Felix-Eboue. Accessed 9 May 2025</ref> During [[World War II]], Guadeloupe initially came under the control of the [[Vichy government]], later joining [[Free France]] in 1943.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vichy issued its colonial stamps in France |url=https://www.linns.com/insights/vichy-issued-its-colonial-stamps-in-france.html |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=Linns Stamp News |language=en}}</ref> In 1946, the colony of Guadeloupe [[became an overseas department]] of France.<ref name="britannica.com" />

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]] were shot at by the [[Compagnies républicaines de sécurité]], resulting in four deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20090214-14-fevrier-1952-une-greve-guadeloupe-reprimee-le-sang |title=14 février 1952: une grève en Guadeloupe réprimée dans le sang, France24.com, 14 février 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lepetitlexiquecolonial.blogspace.fr/1533307/Jeudi-14-fevrier-1952-au-Moule/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710153850/http://lepetitlexiquecolonial.blogspace.fr/1533307/Jeudi-14-fevrier-1952-au-Moule/ |archive-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead |title=Le petit lexique colonial – Jeudi 14 février 1952 au Moule &#124; lepetitlexiquecolonial.blogspace.fr |access-date=27 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/speciales/social/guadeloupe_dom__la_crise/20090219.OBS5423/les_precedentes_emeutes_en_guadeloupe_1952_et_1967.html |title=Source: Le Nouvel Observateur}}{{dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-14 |title=L’éphéméride du 14 février : Guadeloupe, Martinique jours de mort les 14 février 1952 et 1974 |url=https://www.madinin-art.net/lephemeride-du-14-fevrier/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> In May 1967 racial tensions exploded into rioting following a racist attack on a black Guadeloupean, Raphael Balzinc,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/6/2/50-years-on-guadeloupeans-remember-french-brutality |title=50 years on: Guadeloupeans remember French brutality |access-date=17 October 2023 |archive-date=5 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105095258/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/6/2/50-years-on-guadeloupeans-remember-french-brutality |url-status=live}}</ref> resulting in eight deaths.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mai 1967 à Pointe-à-Pitre : " Un massacre d'Etat " |url=https://www.humanite.fr/mai-1967-pointe-pitre-un-massacre-detat-636544 |language=fr |date=25 May 2017 |access-date=14 October 2017 |archive-date=16 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016005805/https://www.humanite.fr/mai-1967-pointe-pitre-un-massacre-detat-636544 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Félix-Hilaire Fortuné |title=La France et l'Outre-Mer antillais |language=fr |trans-title=France and the West Indies |publisher=L'Harmattan |date=2001 |page=303}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2009/05/26/en-guadeloupe-la-tragedie-de-me-67-refoulee_1198153_3224.html |title=En Guadeloupe, la tragédie de "Mé 67" refoulée |newspaper=Le Monde |date=26 May 2009 |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-date=27 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727235412/https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2009/05/26/en-guadeloupe-la-tragedie-de-me-67-refoulee_1198153_3224.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carrington |first=G. |date=2022-01-09 |title=The May 1967 massacre in Guadeloupe |url=https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/31750/ |journal=Journal of Romance Studies |language=en |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=389–412 |doi=10.3828/jrs.2022.21 |issn=1473-3536}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carrington |first=Grace |date= |title=The May 1967 massacre in Guadeloupe |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10181907/ |journal=Journal of Romance Studies |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=389–412 |issn=1473-3536}}</ref>

An independence movement grew in the 1970s, prompting France to declare Guadeloupe a French region in 1974.<ref name="britannica.com" /> The [[People's Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe|Union populaire pour la libération de la Guadeloupe]] (UPLG) campaigned for complete independence, and by the 1980s the situation had turned violent with the actions of groups such as {{ill|Groupe de libération armée|es|Grupo de Liberación Armada|fr}} (GLA) and [[Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance|Alliance révolutionnaire caraïbe]] (ARC).

Greater autonomy was granted to Guadeloupe in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guadeloupe - Atlapedia® Online |url=https://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/guadelop.htm |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.atlapedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Guadeloupe |url=https://www.islandstudies.com/files/2016/11/Guadeloupe.pdf}}</ref> Through a [[2003 Guadeloupean autonomy referendum|referendum in 2003]], [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint-Martin]] and [[Saint Barthélemy]] voted to separate from the administrative jurisdiction of Guadeloupe, this being fully enacted by 2007.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Guadeloupe Arrondissements |url=https://www.statoids.com/ugp.html |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.statoids.com}}</ref>

In January 2009, labour unions and others known as the [[Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon]] went [[2009 French Caribbean general strikes|on strike]] for more pay.<ref>"[https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gk4fdgdkSoLI7uwcWr8DPvufQdAg?hl=en Race, class fuel social conflict on French Caribbean islands] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221091147/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gk4fdgdkSoLI7uwcWr8DPvufQdAg?hl=en |date=21 February 2014 }}". [[Agence France-Presse]] (AFP). 17 February 2009</ref> 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.<ref name=reuters>{{cite news |first=Estelle |last=Shirbon |title=Paris fails to end island protests, seen spreading |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKLD40833620090213 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=13 February 2009 |access-date=14 February 2009 |archive-date=14 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214175718/http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKLD40833620090213 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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]]) was shot and killed.<ref name=iht19>{{cite news |title=France proposes to raise salaries to end Guadeloupe violence |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/19/america/france.php |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |date=19 February 2009 |access-date=25 February 2009 |archive-date=21 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221065804/http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/19/america/france.php |url-status=live}}</ref> The strike lasted 44 days and had also inspired similar actions on nearby [[Martinique]]. President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] later visited the island, promising reform.<ref name=visit>[https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iQcNm7wF2_1t5AffHQZY1jZwd9Cw Sarkozy offers autonomy vote for Martinique] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709063018/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iQcNm7wF2_1t5AffHQZY1jZwd9Cw |date=9 July 2009 }}, [[Agence France-Presse]]</ref> Tourism suffered greatly during this time and affected the 2010 tourist season as well.

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Guadeloupe}}
{{Cleanup split|Geography of Guadeloupe|date=August 2022}}
[[File:Guadeloupe NASA 61.42577W 16.17142N.jpg|thumb|Satellite photo of Guadeloupe]]
[[File:Panorama Chutes du Carbet.jpg|thumb|right|Lush forest on Basse-Terre]]
[[File:Guadeloupe2021OSM.png|thumb|right|Detailed map of Guadeloupe]]

Guadeloupe is an archipelago of more than 12 islands, as well as [[islet]]s and rocks situated where the northeastern [[Caribbean Sea]] meets the western Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="britannica.com" /> It is located in the [[Leeward Islands]] in the northern part of the [[Lesser Antilles]], a partly volcanic [[island arc]]. To the north lie [[Antigua and Barbuda]] and the [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]] of [[Montserrat]], with [[Dominica]] lying to the south.

The two main islands are Basse-Terre (west) and [[Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe|Grande-Terre]] (east), which form a butterfly shape as viewed from above, the two 'wings' of which are separated by the {{ill|Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin|ceb||fr|Grand Cul-de-sac marin|nl||sv}}, [[Rivière Salée (Guadeloupe)|Rivière Salée]] and {{ill|Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin|ceb||fr|Petit Cul-de-sac marin}}. More than half of Guadeloupe's land surface consists of the 847.8&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> Basse-Terre.<ref name="britannica.com" /> The island is mountainous, containing the peaks of [[Mount Sans Toucher]] ({{cvt|4,442|ft|m|disp=semicolon|order=flip}}) and [[Grande Découverte]] ({{cvt|4,143|ft|m|disp=semicolon|order=flip}}), culminating in the active volcano [[La Grande Soufrière]], the highest mountain peak in the [[Lesser Antilles]] with an elevation of {{convert|1467|metres|feet|abbr=}}.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref name=factbook /> 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.<ref name=factbook /> This is where the main tourist resorts are found.<ref name="gag" />

[[Marie-Galante]] is the third-largest island, followed by [[La Désirade]], a north-east slanted [[limestone]] plateau, the highest point of which is {{convert|275|metres|feet|abbr=}}. To the south lie the [[Îles de Petite-Terre]], which are two islands (Terre de Haut and Terre de Bas) totalling 2&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="gag" />

[[Les Saintes]] is an archipelago of eight islands of which two, [[Terre-de-Bas]] and [[Terre-de-Haut Island|Terre-de-Haut]] are inhabited. The landscape is similar to that of Basse-Terre, with volcanic hills and irregular shoreline with deep bays.

There are numerous other smaller islands.

=== Geology ===
Basse-Terre is a [[volcanic island]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mathieu |first1=Lucie |last2=van Wyk de Vries |first2=Benjamin |last3=Mannessiez |first3=Claire |last4=Mazzoni |first4=Nelly |last5=Savry |first5=Cécile |last6=Troll |first6=Valentin R. |date=5 March 2013 |title=The structure and morphology of the Basse Terre Island, Lesser Antilles volcanic arc |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-013-0700-y |journal=Bulletin of Volcanology |language=en |volume=75 |issue=3 |pages=700 |doi=10.1007/s00445-013-0700-y |bibcode=2013BVol...75..700M |s2cid=129467145 |issn=1432-0819 |access-date=8 November 2020 |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213042707/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00445-013-0700-y |url-status=live}}</ref> The Lesser Antilles are at the outer edge of the [[Caribbean Plate]], and Guadeloupe is part of the outer arc of the [[Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc]]. Many of the islands were formed as a result of the [[subduction]] of [[oceanic crust]] of the [[Atlantic Plate]] under the [[Caribbean Plate]] in the [[Lesser Antilles subduction zone]]. This process is ongoing and is responsible for volcanic and earthquake activity in the region. Guadeloupe was formed from multiple volcanoes, of which only La Grande Soufrière is not extinct.<ref name="jussieu">{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe |url=http://www.ipgp.jussieu.fr/~beaudu/download/2004_Komorowski_VHA.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061120120412/http://www.ipgp.jussieu.fr/~beaudu/download/2004_Komorowski_VHA.pdf |archive-date=20 November 2006 |url-status=live |website=Institut de physique du globe de Paris |publisher=Universite de Paris |access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> Its last eruption was in 1976, and led to the evacuation of the southern part of Basse-Terre. 73,600 people were displaced throughout three and a half months following the eruption.

[[K–Ar dating]] indicates that the three northern [[massif]]s on [[Basse-Terre Island]] are 2.79&nbsp;million years old. Sections of volcanoes collapsed and eroded within the last 650,000 years, after which the Sans Toucher volcano grew in the collapsed area. Volcanoes in the north of Basse-Terre Island mainly produced [[andesite]] and [[basaltic andesite]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.epsl.2007.03.030 |title=Timing of effusive volcanism and collapse events within an oceanic arc island: Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe archipelago (Lesser Antilles Arc) |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=258 |pages=175–191 |year=2007 |last1=Samper |first1=A. |last2=Quidelleur |first2=X. |last3=Lahitte |first3=P. |last4=Mollex |first4=D. |issue=1–2 |bibcode=2007E&PSL.258..175S}}</ref> There are several beaches of dark or "black" sand.<ref name="gag">{{cite web |title=Geography and geology |url=https://www.leguideguadeloupe.com/en/geography-and-geology/ |website=Le Guide Guadeloupe |access-date=17 April 2019 |archive-date=18 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418022256/https://www.leguideguadeloupe.com/en/geography-and-geology/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[La Désirade (commune)|La Désirade]], east of the main islands, has a [[Basement (geology)|basement]] from the [[Mesozoic]], overlaid with thick [[limestones]] from the [[Pliocene]] to [[Quaternary]] periods.<ref name="brgm">{{cite web |last1=Bourdon |first1=E |last2=Bouchot |first2=V |last3=Gadalia |first3=A |last4=Sanjuan |first4=B |title=Geology and geothermal activity of the Bouillante Volcanic Chain |url=http://calamar.univ-ag.fr/cgc2011/images/stories/ft-bouillante.pdf |access-date=18 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419001006/http://calamar.univ-ag.fr/cgc2011/images/stories/ft-bouillante.pdf |archive-date=19 April 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Grande-Terre and Marie-Galante have basements probably composed of volcanic units of [[Eocene]] to [[Oligocene]], but there are no visible outcrops. On Grande-Terre, the overlying [[carbonate platform]] is 120 metres thick.<ref name="brgm" />

=== Climate ===
The islands are part of the [[Leeward Islands]], so called because they are downwind of the prevailing [[trade wind]]s, which blow out of the northeast.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref name=factbook /> This was significant in the days of [[sailing ship]]s. Grande-Terre is so named because it is on the eastern, or [[windward]] side, exposed to the Atlantic winds. Basse-Terre is so named because it is on the [[leeward]] south-west side and sheltered from the winds. Guadeloupe has a [[tropical climate]] tempered by maritime influences and the [[Trade Winds]]. There are two seasons, the dry season called "Lent" from January to June, and the wet season called "winter", from July to December.<ref name="britannica.com" />

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Guadeloupe
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| collapsed = Yes
| Jan high C = 29.1
| Feb high C = 29.1
| Mar high C = 29.4
| Apr high C = 30.1
| May high C = 30.7
| Jun high C = 31.3
| Jul high C = 31.5
| Aug high C = 31.6
| Sep high C = 31.5
| Oct high C = 31.2
| Nov high C = 30.5
| Dec high C = 29.6
| year high C = 30.5
| Jan mean C = 24.5
| Feb mean C = 24.5
| Mar mean C = 24.9
| Apr mean C = 25.9
| May mean C = 26.9
| Jun mean C = 27.5
| Jul mean C = 27.6
| Aug mean C = 27.7
| Sep mean C = 27.4
| Oct mean C = 27.0
| Nov mean C = 26.3
| Dec mean C = 25.2
| year mean C = 26.3
| Jan low C = 19.9
| Feb low C = 19.9
| Mar low C = 20.4
| Apr low C = 21.7
| May low C = 23.1
| Jun low C = 23.8
| Jul low C = 23.8
| Aug low C = 23.7
| Sep low C = 23.3
| Oct low C = 22.9
| Nov low C = 22.1
| Dec low C = 20.9
| year low C = 22.1
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 84
| Feb precipitation mm = 64
| Mar precipitation mm = 73
| Apr precipitation mm = 123
| May precipitation mm = 148
| Jun precipitation mm = 118
| Jul precipitation mm = 150
| Aug precipitation mm = 198
| Sep precipitation mm = 236
| Oct precipitation mm = 228
| Nov precipitation mm = 220
| Dec precipitation mm = 137
| year precipitation mm = 1779
| Jan precipitation days = 15.0
| Feb precipitation days = 11.5
| Mar precipitation days = 11.5
| Apr precipitation days = 11.6
| May precipitation days = 13.6
| Jun precipitation days = 12.8
| Jul precipitation days = 15.4
| Aug precipitation days = 16.2
| Sep precipitation days = 16.6
| Oct precipitation days = 18.1
| Nov precipitation days = 16.6
| Dec precipitation days = 15.7
| year precipitation days = 174.6
| unit precipitation days = 
| Jan sun = 235.6
| Feb sun = 229.1
| Mar sun = 232.5
| Apr sun = 240.0
| May sun = 244.9
| Jun sun = 237.0
| Jul sun = 244.9
| Aug sun = 248.0
| Sep sun = 216.0
| Oct sun = 217.0
| Nov sun = 207.0
| Dec sun = 223.2
| year sun = 2775.2
| source 1 = [[Hong Kong Observatory]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/s_america/mx_cam/guadeloupe_e.htm |title=Climatological Information for Guadeloupe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403033951/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/s_america/mx_cam/guadeloupe_e.htm |archive-date=3 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| date=September 2011}}
[[File:Plage de la Grande Anse à Deshaies 2.jpg|thumb|Grande Anse Beach]]

=== Tropical cyclones and storm surges ===
Located in a very exposed region, Guadeloupe and its [[Dependent territory|dependencies]] have to face many [[cyclones]]. The deadliest hurricane to hit Guadeloupe was the Pointe-à-Pitre hurricane of 1776, which killed at least 6,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996 |url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=nhc.noaa.gov |archive-date=15 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315153605/https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1989, [[Hurricane Hugo]] caused severe damage to the islands of the archipelago and left a deep mark on the memory of the local inhabitants. In 1995, three hurricanes (Iris, Luis and [[Hurricane Marilyn|Marilyn]]) hit the archipelago in less than three weeks. Other notable hurricanes include [[1928 Okeechobee hurricane|Okeechobee]] in 1928, [[Hurricane Betsy|Betsy]] in 1965, [[Hurricane Cleo|Cleo]] in 1964, [[Hurricane Inez|Inez]] in 1966, and [[Hurricane Irma|Irma]] and [[Hurricane Maria|Maria]] in 2017.

=== Flora ===
[[File:Pic de la Guadeloupe.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Guadeloupe woodpecker]] is endemic to the islands.]]
With fertile volcanic soils, heavy rainfall and a warm climate, vegetation on Basse-Terre is lush.<ref name="britannica">{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Guadeloupe |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=12 December 2018 |archive-date=12 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212151457/https://www.britannica.com/place/Guadeloupe |url-status=live}}</ref> Most of the island's forests are on Basse-Terre, containing such species as [[mahogany]], [[ironwood]] and [[chestnut tree]]s.<ref name="britannica.com" /> [[Mangrove swamps]] line the Salée River.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Much of the forest on Grande-Terre has been cleared, with only a few small patches remaining.<ref name="britannica.com" />

Between {{convert|300|and|1,000|m}} of altitude, the [[rainforest]] that covers a large part of the island of Basse-Terre develops. Vegetation there includes the white gum tree, the [[acomat-boucan]] or chestnut tree, the marbri or bois-bandé or the oleander; shrubs and herbaceous plants such as the mountain palm, the balisier or ferns; many epiphytes: [[bromeliads]], philodendrons, [[orchids]] and [[lianas]]. Above {{cvt|1,000|m}}, the humid savannah develops, composed of mosses, [[lichen]]s, sphagnum or more vigorous plants such as mountain [[mangrove]], high altitude violet or mountain thyme.

The [[dry forest]] occupies a large part of the islands of Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, Les Saintes, [[La Désirade]] and also develops on the leeward coast of Basse-Terre. The coastal forest is more difficult to develop because of the nature of the soil (sandy, rocky), [[salinity]], sunshine and wind and is the environment where the sea grape, the [[Hippomane|mancenilla]] (a very toxic tree whose trunk is marked with a red line), the icaquier or the [[Coconut]] tree grow. On the [[cliffs]] and in the [[Arid]] zones are found cacti such as the cactus-cigar (Cereus), the prickly pear, the chestnut cactus, the "Tête à l'anglais" cactus and the aloes.

The [[Mangrove]] forest that borders some of Guadalupe's coasts is structured in three levels, from the closest to the sea to the farthest. On the first level are the [[Optediceros breviculum|red mangroves]]; on the second, about {{convert|10|metres}} from the sea, the [[black mangrove]]s form the shrubby mangrove; on the third level the white mangroves form the tall mangrove. Behind the mangrove, where the tide and salt do not penetrate, a swamp forest sometimes develops, unique in Guadeloupe. The representative species of this environment is the Mangrove-medaille.[[File:Artibeus jamaicensis.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A Jamaican fruit bats hanging from a tree|The [[Jamaican fruit bat]] can be found throughout the [[department of France|department]]. | 310x310px]]

=== Fauna ===
Few terrestrial mammals, aside from bats and [[raccoons]], are native to the islands. The [[introduced species|introduced]] [[Javan mongoose]] is also present on Guadeloupe.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Bird species include the [[endemism|endemic]] [[purple-throated carib]] and the [[Guadeloupe woodpecker]].<ref name="britannica.com" /> The waters of the islands support a rich variety of marine life.<ref name="britannica.com" />

However, by studying 43,000 bone remains from six islands in the [[archipelago]], it was found that 50 to 70% of snakes and lizards on the Guadeloupe Islands became extinct after European colonists arrived; they had brought with them mammals such as cats, mongooses, rats, and raccoons, which might have preyed upon the native reptiles.<ref>{{cite news<!--|authors=Corentin Bochaton; Emmanuel Paradis; Salvador Bailon; Sandrine Grouard; Ivan Ineich; Arnaud Lenoble; Olivier Lorvelec; Anne Tresset; and Nicole Boivin-->|author=Corentin Bochaton|display-authors=etal|title=Large-scale reptile extinctions following European colonization of the Guadeloupe Islands|publisher=Science Advances|year=2021|volume=7|issue=21|doi=10.1126/sciadv.abg2111}}</ref>

=== Environmental preservation ===
In recent decades, Guadeloupe's natural environments have been affected by hunting and fishing, forest retreat, urbanization and suburbanization. They also suffer from the development of intensive crops (banana and [[Sugarcane|sugar cane]], in particular), which reached their peak in the years 1955–75. This has led to the following situation: seagrass beds and [[reefs]] have degraded by up to 50% around the large islands; mangroves and [[Mantidae|mantids]] have almost disappeared in [[Marie-Galante]], Les Saintes and La Désirade; the [[salinity]] of the fresh water table has increased due to "the intensity of use of the layer"; and pollution of agricultural origin (pesticides and nitrogenous compounds).<ref>Un rapport s’alarme de « la dégradation généralisée » des masses d’eau en Guadeloupe, ''Le Monde'', 10 septembre 2019</ref>

In addition, the ChlEauTerre study, unveiled in March 2018, concludes that 37 different [[Climate change|anthropogenic]] molecules (more than half of which come from residues of now-banned pesticides, such as chlordecone) were found in "79% of the watersheds analyzed in Grande-Terre and 84% in Basse-Terre." A report by the Guadeloupe Water Office notes that in 2019 there is a "generalized [[Environmental degradation|degradation]] of water bodies."

Despite everything, there is a will to preserve these [[Natural environment|environments]] whose vegetation and [[landscape]] are preserved in some parts of the islands and constitute a sensitive asset for tourism. These areas are partially protected and classified as ZNIEFF, sometimes with nature reserve status, and several caves are home to protected chiropterans.
[[File:Sommet de la Soufrière.jpg|thumb|La Soufrière Volcano crater and its fumaroles]]
The Guadalupe [[National Park]] was created on 20 February 1989. In 1992, under the auspices of [[UNESCO]], the [[Biosphere Reserve]] of the Guadeloupe Archipelago (''Réserve de biosphère de l'archipel de la Guadeloupe'') was created. As a result, on 8 December 1993, the marine site of Grand Cul-de-sac was listed as a wetland of international importance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin de la Guadeloupe {{!}} Service d'information sur les Sites Ramsar |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/fr/ris/642 |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=rsis.ramsar.org |archive-date=23 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523195307/https://rsis.ramsar.org/fr/ris/642 |url-status=live}}</ref> The island thus became the [[Overseas departments and regions of France|overseas department]] with the most [[protected area]]s.

=== Earthquakes and tsunamis ===
The archipelago is crossed by numerous [[Fault (geology)|geological faults]] such as those of la Barre or la Cadoue, while in depth, in front of Moule and [[La Désirade]] begins the Désirade Fault, and between the north of Maria-Galante and the south of Grande-Terre begins the Maria Galante Fault. And it is because of these geological characteristics, the islands of the department of Guadeloupe are classified in zone III according to the seismic zoning of France and are subject to a specific risk prevention plan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guadeloupe |first=DEAL de |date=26 November 2014 |title=Les plans de prévention des risques naturels – Présentation générale |url=http://www.guadeloupe.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/les-plans-de-prevention-des-risques-naturels-a382.html |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=guadeloupe.developpement-durable.gouv.fr |language=fr |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526001319/http://www.guadeloupe.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/les-plans-de-prevention-des-risques-naturels-a382.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[1843 Guadeloupe earthquake|1843 earthquake]] in the [[Lesser Antilles]] is, to this day, the most violent earthquake known. It caused the death of more than a thousand people, as well as major damage in Pointe-à-Pitre.

On 21 November 2004, the islands of the department, in particular [[Îles des Saintes|Les Saintes]] archipelago, were shaken by a violent earthquake that reached a magnitude of 6.3 on the [[Richter magnitude scale|Richter scale]] and caused the death of one person, as well as extensive material damage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Séisme ressenti en Guadeloupe |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2011/03/16/97001-20110316FILWWW00323-seisme-ressenti-en-guadeloupe.php |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=Le Figaro |date=16 March 2011 |language=fr |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526001319/https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2011/03/16/97001-20110316FILWWW00323-seisme-ressenti-en-guadeloupe.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Waterfalls ===
Guadeloupe is home to 100 [[waterfall]]s and cascades.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Waterfalls |url=https://www.lesilesdeguadeloupe.com/tourism/en-us/nature/waterfalls |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=Les îles de Guadeloupe (Guadeloupe Islands) |publisher=Comité du Tourisme des Îles de Guadeloupe (Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board) |language=en-US |publication-date=}}</ref> Some of the most well-known or visited include [[Acomat Falls]] (''Saut de l'Acomat''), [[Carbet Falls]] (''Chutes du Carbet''), [[Crayfish Waterfall]] (''Cascade aux Écrevisses''), and [[Lézarde (Guadeloupe)|Lézarde]] Falls (''Saut de la Lézarde''). All of the waterfalls are located on the island of Basse-Terre.<ref name=":8" />

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Guadeloupe}}

{{Historical populations
| source = INSEE<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=DEP-971#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968: Guadeloupe] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708013752/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=DEP-971#ancre-POP_T1 |date=8 July 2022 }}, INSEE</ref>
| percentages = pagr
| align = none
| graph-pos = right
| 1954.49863 |223675
| 1961.77260274 |276545
| 1967.791780822 |305312
| 1974.791780822 |315848
| 1982.18630137 |317269
| 1990.202739726 |353431
| 1999.183561644 |386566
| 2010 |403355
| 2015 |397990
| 2021 |384315
| 2024 |378561
}}

The population of Guadeloupe was estimated to be 378,561 on 1 January 2024.<ref name=pop /> The population is mainly [[Afro-Caribbean]]. European, [[Indians in Guadeloupe|Indian (Tamil, Telugu, and other South Indians)]], [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], [[Syrian people|Syrians]], and Chinese are all minorities. There is also a substantial population of [[Haitians]] in Guadeloupe who work mainly in construction and as street vendors.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Regine |title=Geographies of Haitian Diaspora |date=2011 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-136-80788-6 |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQ6tAgAAQBAJ |access-date=3 July 2020 |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213042714/https://books.google.com/books?id=OQ6tAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Basse-Terre]] is the political capital; however, the largest city and economic hub is [[Pointe-à-Pitre]].<ref name="britannica.com" />

The population of Guadeloupe has been decreasing by 0.8% per year since 2013.<ref name=census2019press>{{cite web |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6012504 |title=Recensement de la population en Guadeloupe : 384 239 habitants au 1ᵉʳ janvier 2019 |author=INSEE |author-link=INSEE |date=29 December 2021 |language=fr |access-date=5 July 2022 |archive-date=6 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706061535/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6012504 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017 the average population density in Guadeloupe was {{convert|240|PD/km2}}, which is very high in comparison to metropolitan France's average of {{convert|119|PD/km2}}.<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=METRO-1#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968: France métropolitaine] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708013749/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=METRO-1#ancre-POP_T1 |date=8 July 2022 }}, INSEE</ref> One third of the land is devoted to agriculture and all mountains are uninhabitable; this lack of space and shelter makes the population density even higher.

=== Major urban areas ===
<!--[[List of cities in Guadeloupe]] redirects to this section-->
The most populous [[urban unit]] (agglomeration) is [[Pointe-à-Pitre]]-[[Les Abymes]], which covers 11 communes and 65% of the population of the department.<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/geographie/unite-urbaine-2020/9A701-pointe-a-pitre-les-abymes Unité urbaine 2020 de Pointe-à-Pitre-Les Abymes (9A701)], INSEE</ref> The three largest urban units are:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statistiques-locales.insee.fr/#bbox=-625696,5507794,555410,483962&c=indicator&i=pop_legales.popmun&s=2019&t=A01&view=map12 |title=Statistiques locales: France par unité urbaine, population municipale 2019 |publisher=[[INSEE]] |access-date=12 July 2022 |archive-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004346/https://statistiques-locales.insee.fr/#bbox=-625696,5507794,555410,483962&c=indicator&i=pop_legales.popmun&s=2019&t=A01&view=map12 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! Urban unit
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[Pointe-à-Pitre]]-[[Les Abymes]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 249,815
|-
| [[Basse-Terre]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 50,104
|-
| [[Capesterre-Belle-Eau]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 25,362
|}

=== Health ===
In 2011, [[life expectancy]] at birth was recorded at 77.0 years for males and 83.5 for females.<ref name=INSEE>{{cite web |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/theme.asp?theme=2 |title=Population |publisher=Insee |access-date=18 May 2015 |archive-date=19 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119064159/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/theme.asp?theme=2 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Medical centres in Guadeloupe include: University Hospital Centre (CHU) in Pointe-à-Pitre, Regional Hospital Centre (CHR) in Basse-Terre, and four hospitals located in Capesterre-Belle-Eau, Pointe-Noire, Bouillante and Saint-Claude.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vanguardhealthcare.co.uk/resources/centre-hopital-universitaire-point-a-pitre-chu-in-guadeloupe/ |title=Centre Hospital Universitaire Point a pitre Chu in Guadeloupe |website=Vanguard Healthcare |access-date=27 December 2020}}{{dead link|date=February 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The ''Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe'', is located in Pointe-à-Pitre and is responsible for researching environmental hygiene, vaccinations, and the spread of [[tuberculosis]] and other [[mycobacterium|mycobacteria]].<ref name="Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe">{{cite web |last1=Rastogi |first1=Nalin |title=Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe |url=http://www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr/ |website=Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe |publisher=Rastogi, Nalin |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201141102/http://www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Immigration ===
The relative wealth of Guadeloupe contrasts with the [[extreme poverty]] of several islands in the [[Caribbean]] region, which makes the community an attractive place for the populations of some of these territories.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atlas Caraïbe |url=http://atlas-caraibe.certic.unicaen.fr/fr/page-102.html |access-date=8 July 2021 |website=atlas-caraibe.certic.unicaen.fr |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608192617/http://atlas-caraibe.certic.unicaen.fr/fr/page-102.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, other factors, such as political instability and natural disasters, explain this immigration. As early as the 1970s, the first illegal immigrants of [[Haitian diaspora|Haitian origin]] arrived in Guadeloupe to meet a need for labour in the agricultural sector; alongside this [[Haitian Americans|Haitian immigration]], which is more visible because it is more numerous, Guadeloupe has also seen the arrival and settlement of populations from the island of Dominica and the Dominican Republic. In 2005, the prefecture, which represents the State in Guadeloupe, reported figures of between 50,000 and 60,000 foreigners in the department.<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'immigration en Guadeloupe, sur islandscommission.org (La inmigración en Guadalupe, en islandscommission.org) |url=http://www.islandscommission.org/pub/docs/80_95_fr_presentation_guadeloupe.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=25 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225045244/http://www.islandscommission.org/pub/docs/80_95_fr_presentation_guadeloupe.pdf}}</ref>
[[File:Guadeloupe women (1911).png|thumb|Guadeloupe women (1911) on Ellis Island]]

=== Migration ===
Created in 1963 by [[Michel Debré]], Bumidom's objective was to "[...] contribute to the solution of demographic problems in the overseas departments". To this end, its missions were multiple: information for future emigrants, vocational training, family reunification and management of reception centres. At the time, this project was also seen as a means to diminish the influence of the [[West Indian]] independence movements, which were gaining strength in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bocandé |first=Anne |date=7 September 2017 |title=Péyi an nou: le Bumidom en BD |url=http://africultures.com/peyi-an-nou-bumidom-bd/ |access-date=8 July 2021 |website=Africultures |language=fr-FR |archive-date=21 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421082023/http://africultures.com/peyi-an-nou-bumidom-bd/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Between 1963 and 1981, an estimated 16,562 Guadeloupeans emigrated to [[metropolitan France]] through Bumidom. And the miniseries Le Rêve français (The French Dream) sets out to recount some of the consequences of the emigration of West Indians and Reunionese to France.

An estimated 50,000 Guadeloupeans and Martinicans participated in the construction of the [[Panama Canal]] between 1904 and 1914. In 2014, it was estimated that there were between 60,000 and 70,000 descendants of these West Indians living in Panama.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Août 1914 : les Guadeloupéens et Martiniquais oubliés du Canal de Panama |date=14 August 2014 |url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/2014/08/14/aout-1914-les-guadeloupeens-et-martiniquais-oublies-du-canal-de-panama-175726.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228193737/http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/2014/08/14/aout-1914-les-guadeloupeens-et-martiniquais-oublies-du-canal-de-panama-175726.html}}</ref> Other waves of migration to North America, especially to Canada, occurred at the beginning of the 20th century.

== Governance ==
Together with [[Martinique]], [[La Réunion]], [[Mayotte]] and [[French Guiana]], Guadeloupe is one of the [[Overseas department and region|overseas departments]], being both a [[Regions of France|region]] and a [[Departments of France|department]].<ref name="britannica.com" /> It is also an outermost region of the [[European Union]]. The inhabitants of Guadeloupe are French citizens with full political and legal rights.
[[File:Mairie de Goyave.jpg|thumb|Goyave Town Hall]]
Legislative powers are centred on the separate [[Departmental council (France)|departmental]] and [[Regional council (France)|regional]] councils.<ref name="britannica.com" /> The elected president of the [[Departmental Council of Guadeloupe]] is currently Guy Losbar (1 July 2021); its main areas of responsibility include the management of a number of social and welfare allowances, of junior high school (collège) buildings and technical staff, and local roads and school and rural buses. The [[Regional Council of Guadeloupe]] is a body, elected every six years, consisting of a president (currently [[Ary Chalus]]) and eight vice-presidents. The regional council oversees [[Secondary education in France|secondary education]], regional transportation, economic development, the environment, and some infrastructure, among other things.

Guadeloupe elects one deputy from one of each of the [[Guadeloupe's 1st constituency|first]], [[Guadeloupe's 2nd constituency|second]], [[Guadeloupe's 3rd constituency|third]], and [[Guadeloupe's 4th constituency|fourth]] constituencies to the [[National Assembly of France]]. Three senators are chosen for the [[Senate of France]] by [[indirect election]].<ref name="britannica.com" /> For electoral purposes, Guadeloupe is divided into two [[Arrondissements of the Guadeloupe department|arrondissements]] ([[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]] and [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]), and 21 [[Cantons of the Guadeloupe department|cantons]].

Most of the [[List of political parties in France|French political parties]] are active in Guadeloupe. In addition there are also regional parties such as the [[Guadeloupe Communist Party]], the [[Progressive Democratic Party of Guadeloupe]], the [[Guadeloupean Objective]], the [[Pluralist Left]], and [[United Guadeloupe, Solidary and Responsible]].

The [[prefectures in France|prefecture]] (regional capital) of Guadeloupe is [[Basse-Terre]]. Local services of the state administration are traditionally organised at departmental level, where the [[prefect]] represents the government.<ref name="britannica.com" />

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{See also|Arrondissements of the Guadeloupe department|Cantons of the Guadeloupe department}}
For the purposes of local government, Guadeloupe is divided into [[Communes of the Guadeloupe department|32 communes]].<ref name="britannica.com" /> Each commune has a municipal council and a mayor. Revenues for the communes come from transfers from the French government, and local taxes. Administrative responsibilities at this level include water management, civil register, and municipal police.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Name
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! Population (2019)<ref name=pop2019>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep971.pdf Populations légales 2019: 971 Guadeloupe] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712144857/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep971.pdf |date=12 July 2022 }}, INSEE</ref>
! Arrondissement
! Map
|-
| [[Les Abymes]]
| 81.25
| 53,514
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Les Abymes 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Anse-Bertrand]]
| 62.5
| 4,001
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Anse-Bertrand 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Baie-Mahault]]
| 46
| 30,837
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Baie-Mahault 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Baillif]]
| 24.3
| 5,203
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Baillif 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Basse-Terre]]
| 5.78
| 9,861
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Basse-Terre 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Bouillante]]
| 43.46
| 6,847
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Bouillante 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Capesterre-Belle-Eau]]
| 103.3
| 17,741
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Capesterre-Belle-Eau 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante]]
| 46.19
| 3,298
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Deshaies]]
| 31.1
| 3,998
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Deshaies 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[La Désirade (commune)|La Désirade]]
| 21.12
| 1,419
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of La Désirade 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Le Gosier]]
| 45.2
| 26,489
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Le Gosier 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Gourbeyre]]
| 22.52
| 7,760
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Gourbeyre 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Goyave]]
| 59.91
| 7,621
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Goyave 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Grand-Bourg]]
| 55.54
| 4,870
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Grand-Bourg 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Lamentin]]
| 65.6
| 16,354
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Lamentin 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Morne-à-l'Eau]]
| 64.5
| 16,495
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Morne-à-l'Eau 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Le Moule]]
| 82.84
| 22,149
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Le Moule 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Petit-Bourg]]
| 129.88
| 24,753
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Petit-Bourg 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Petit-Canal]]
| 72
| 8,203
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Petit-Canal 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| 2.66
| 15,181
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Pointe-à-Pitre 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe|Pointe-Noire]]
| 59.7
| 6,031
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Pointe-Noire 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Port-Louis, Guadeloupe|Port-Louis]]
| 44.24
| 5,618
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Port-Louis 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe|Saint-Claude]]
| 34.3
| 10,466
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Saint-Claude 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Saint-François, Guadeloupe|Saint-François]]
| 61
| 11,689
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Saint-François 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Saint-Louis, Guadeloupe|Saint-Louis]]
| 56.28
| 2,397
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Saint-Louis 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe|Sainte-Anne]]
| 80.29
| 24,151
| [[Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre|Pointe-à-Pitre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Sainte-Anne 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe|Sainte-Rose]]
| 118.6
| 17,985
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Sainte-Rose 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Terre-de-Bas]]
| 6.8
| 975
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Terre-de-Bas 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Terre-de-Haut]]
| 6
| 1,519
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Terre-de-Haut 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe|Trois-Rivières]]
| 31.1
| 7,862
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Trois-Rivières 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Vieux-Fort, Guadeloupe|Vieux-Fort]]
| 7.24
| 1,842
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Vieux-Fort 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|-
| [[Vieux-Habitants]]
| 58.7
| 7,110
| [[Arrondissement of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre]]
| [[File:Locator map of Vieux-Habitants 2018.png|frameless|50x50px]]
|}

=== Geopolitics ===
From a [[Geostrategy|geostrategic]] point of view, Guadeloupe is located in a central part of the [[Antilles|Caribbean archipelago]] between the Atlantic Ocean and the [[Caribbean Sea]]. This location in the region allows France to reach a large part of the eastern coast of the [[Americas|American continent]]. The [[Exclusive economic zone of France|exclusive economic zone]] formed by Guadeloupe and [[Martinique]] covers just over 126,146 square kilometres.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tableau des superficies {{!}} limitesmaritimes.gouv.fr |url=https://limitesmaritimes.gouv.fr/ressources/tableau-des-superficies |access-date=8 July 2021 |website=limitesmaritimes.gouv.fr |archive-date=3 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203231450/https://limitesmaritimes.gouv.fr/ressources/tableau-des-superficies |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1980 France established its maritime boundaries in the area by signing a Treaty with [[Venezuela]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=France-Venezuela Boundary Treaty of 1980 |url=http://www.inea.gob.ve/ineaWEB/downloads/internacionales/convenios/venezuela_francia.pdf}}{{dead link|date=July 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[File:EU OCT and OMR map en.png|thumb|The [[Special member state territories and the European Union|special territories of the European Union]]]]This offers France important fishing resources and independence to develop a sovereign policy of underwater research and protection (protection of [[humpback whale]]s, Cousteau reserve, protection of [[coral reefs]]). Because of its geographical position, Guadeloupe allows France to participate in political and diplomatic dialogues at both the regional (Lesser and [[Greater Antilles]]) and continental ([[Latin America|Latin]] and North America) levels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=étrangères |first=Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires |title=La France et les Caraïbes |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/ameriques/amerique-centrale-et-caraibes/la-france-et-les-caraibes/ |access-date=8 July 2021 |website=France Diplomatie – Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères |language=fr |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801105110/https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/ameriques/amerique-centrale-et-caraibes/la-france-et-les-caraibes/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The signing of the Regional Convention for the Internationalisation of Enterprise (CRIE), membership of the [[United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean|Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean]] (ECLAC) and membership of the [[Association of Caribbean States]] (ACS) are milestones that have enabled Guadeloupe to develop its bilateral or multilateral relations within the framework of international agreements or institutions.11 The development of bilateral and multilateral economic partnerships with other Caribbean and American states is based on the modernisation of the autonomous port of Guadeloupe and the importance of the Guadeloupe-Polo Caribe international airport.

=== Symbols and flags ===
As a part of France, Guadeloupe uses the [[Flag of France|French tricolour]] as its flag and {{lang|fr|La Marseillaise}} as its anthem.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexteArticle.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006527453&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006071194 |title=Constitution du 4 octobre 1958 |website=legifrance.gouv.fr |trans-title=Constitution of 4 October 1958 |access-date=22 May 2017 |archive-date=11 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611030258/https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexteArticle.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006527453&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006071194 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, a variety of other flags are also used in unofficial or informal contexts as the [[flag of Guadeloupe]], most notably the sun-based flag.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2021 |title=Flags, Symbols, & Currencies of Guadeloupe |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/guadeloupe |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425135348/https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/guadeloupe |url-status=live}}</ref> Independentists also have their own flag suggested by the [[People's Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2016 |title=Polémique au Suriname autour du drapeau indépendantiste guadeloupéen |url=https://www.franceguyane.fr/actualite/politique/polemique-au-suriname-autour-du-drapeau-independantiste-guadeloupeen-289620.php |access-date=12 June 2023 |website=franceguyane.fr |language=fr-FR |archive-date=12 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612131648/https://www.franceguyane.fr/actualite/politique/polemique-au-suriname-autour-du-drapeau-independantiste-guadeloupeen-289620.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode="small" class="center">
File:Flag of France.svg|National flag of France
File:Unofficial flag of Guadeloupe (local).svg|Colonial flag of Guadeloupe
File:Flag of Guadeloupe (local) variant.svg|Red variant of the colonial sun flag
File:Flag of Guadeloupe (UPLG).svg|Flag used by the independence and the cultural movements
File:Flag of Guadeloupe (Local).svg|Logo of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe
</gallery>

== Economy ==
[[File:Caroline-6.jpg|thumb|[[Plage de Pompierre]], one of the many beaches on Guadeloupe that draw in tourists]]
[[File:Regimedebanane.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Banana plantations on Basse-Terre]]
The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, [[light industry]] and [[Tertiary sector of economic activity|services]].<ref name=factbook /> It is reliant upon mainland France for large subsidies and imports and public administration is the largest single employer on the islands.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref name=factbook /> Unemployment is especially high among the youth population.<ref name=factbook />

In 2017, the Gross domestic product (GDP) of Guadeloupe was €9.079&nbsp;billion, and showed 3.4% growth. The [[GDP per capita]] of Guadeloupe was €23,152.<ref name=gdp>{{cite web |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/version-html/3636840/ga_ina_32.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922080906/https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/version-html/3636840/ga_ina_32.pdf |archive-date=22 September 2020 |url-status=live |title=Insee Analyses Guadeloupe |author=INSEE |author-link=INSEE |date=October 2018 |access-date=5 November 2020 |language=fr}}</ref> Imports amounted to €3.019&nbsp;billion, and exports to €1.157&nbsp;billion. The main export products are bananas, sugar and rum. Banana exports suffered in 2017 from damages due to [[Hurricane Irma]] and [[Hurricane Maria]].<ref name=gdp />

=== Tourism ===
Tourism is one of the most prominent sources of income, with most visitors coming from France and North America.<ref name=factbook /> An increasingly large number of cruise ships visit Guadeloupe, the cruise terminal of which is in Pointe-à-Pitre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guadeloupe Cruise Port |url=https://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=21 |website=cruisecritic |access-date=12 December 2018 |archive-date=12 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212151417/https://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=21 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Agriculture ===
The traditional [[sugar cane]] crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), [[eggplant]], [[Mamoncillo|guinnep]], [[noni]], [[sapotilla]], [[Squash (plant)|giraumon squash]], [[yam (vegetable)|yam]], [[gourd]], [[Plantain (cooking)|plantain]], [[christophene]], [[cocoa bean|cocoa]], [[jackfruit]], [[pomegranate]], and many varieties of flowers.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is dependent upon imported food, mainly from the rest of France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The food crisis in Guadeloupe |url=https://grain.org/en/article/713-the-food-crisis-in-guadeloupe |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=grain.org |language=en |archive-date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606181505/https://grain.org/en/article/713-the-food-crisis-in-guadeloupe |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Light industry ===
Of the various light industries, sugar and [[rum]] production, solar energy, cement, furniture and clothing are the most prominent.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported.

== Culture ==

=== Language ===
Guadeloupe's official language is [[French language|French]], which is spoken by nearly all of the population.<ref name="britannica.com" /><ref name=factbook /> Most residents also speak [[Antillean Creole|Guadeloupean Creole]], a [[French-based creole language]].

Guadeloupean Creole emerged as a result of the need for all ethnic groups (French, African and Amerindian) to be able to understand each other.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Créole |url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/amsudant/creole.htm |access-date=8 July 2021 |website=axl.cefan.ulaval.ca |archive-date=14 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614095117/http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/amsudant/creole.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> This language is therefore the result of a mixture created in the 17th century in response to a communicative emergency. At the time of the colony's foundation, a majority of the French population did not speak the standard French language but local dialects and languages, such as [[Breton language|Breton]] and [[Norman language|Norman]], while the Africans came from a variety of West and Central African ethnic groups and lacked a common language themselves. The Creole language emerged as a lingua franca and ultimately became the native language of much of the population.

Moreover, Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas, in the Saintes [[archipelago]], due to their settlement history (Breton, Norman and Poitevin settlers), have their own Creoles which differ from Guadeloupean Creole by their French pronunciations, their particular expressions, their syntax and their sonorities. Although it is not transcribed, these islanders call their Creole "patois" or "language of St. Martin" and actively ensure its transmission and perpetuation by their descendants in vernacular form.
[[File:Guadeloupe creole 2010-03-30.JPG|thumb|Warning sign written in Guadeloupe Creole]]
A Guadeloupean [[béké]] first wrote Creole at the end of the 17th century, transcribing it using [[French orthography]].

As Guadeloupe is a French department, French is the [[official language]]. However, Guadeloupean French (in contact with Creole) has certain linguistic characteristics that differ from those of standard metropolitan French. Recently, a very detailed study of the phonetic aspect of Guadeloupean French has been undertaken (this would be the first study to deal with both the acoustic and the phonological and perceptual aspects of Guadeloupean French in particular and West Indian French in general). It is also concerned with the reading varieties of Guadeloupean French ([[Post-creole continuum#Stratification|acrolect]], [[Post-creole continuum#Stratification|mesolect]] and [[Post-creole continuum#Stratification|basilect]]).

In recent decades there has been a revival of Creole, which has stimulated the appearance of books of short stories and poetry published in Creole and French over the last ten years. In this context, Hector Poullet is a pioneer of Creole-mediated dictation. Creole is also a very colourful language and very philosophical in its expressions and phrases, which, translated literally into French, can be confusing. The representatives of the older generations are not always fluent in French, but in Guadeloupean Creole.

Today, the question as to whether French and Creole are stable in Guadeloupe, i.e. whether both languages are practiced widely and competently throughout society, remains a subject of active research.<ref>Manahan, Kathe. Diglossia Reconsidered: Language Choice and Code-Switching in Guadeloupean Voluntary Organizations, Kathe Manahan Texas Linguistic Forum. 47: 251–261, Austin, TX. 2004</ref>

=== Religion ===
[[File:Cathédrale Notre - Dame de Guadeloupe.jpg|thumb|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Guadeloupe]]
Figures in 2020 state that 96% of the population was [[Christian]] (of these, approximately 86% were [[Roman Catholic]], 8% [[Protestant]] and 6% other Christian); of the other 4%, most were not religious.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=96c |title=The ARDA website. Retrieved 2023-08-04 |access-date=12 August 2023 |archive-date=12 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812190229/https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=96c |url-status=live}}</ref> Guadeloupe is in the Catholic diocese of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Basse-Terre|Basse-Terre (et Pointe-à-Pitre)]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Diocese of Basse-Terre (et Pointe-à-Pitre) |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbass.html |website=Catholic Hierarchy |access-date=14 August 2016 |archive-date=18 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818133759/http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbass.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholique-guadeloupe.info |website=Diocese Guadeloupe |title=Neuvaine à l'Immaculée Conception (30 novembre au 8 décembre) 2016 |access-date=9 December 2016 |archive-date=26 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226201416/http://www.catholique-guadeloupe.info/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1685, the [[Code Noir|Black Code]] announced the [[Christianity|Christian religion]] in its [[Catholic Church|Catholic form]] as the only authorized religion in the [[French West Indies]], thus excluding Jews and the various Protestant groups from practicing their beliefs, and imposed the forced [[Conversion to Christianity|conversion]] of the newly arrived slaves and the baptism of the older ones. Guadeloupe adopted the code on 10 December 1685.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JUNMAQAAIAAJ |title=La police des Noirs en Amérique (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyane, Saint-Dominique) et en France aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles |pages=67 |isbn=978-2-84450-369-5 |last1=Bellance |first1=Hurard |year=2011 |publisher=Ibis rouge |access-date=21 June 2023 |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213042713/https://books.google.com/books?id=JUNMAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref>

This was followed by a rapid fashion among the [[slaves]], since this religion offered them a spiritual refuge and allowed them to safeguard some of their African beliefs and customs, thus marking the beginning of a religious syncretism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2019 |title=Les religions aux Antilles françaises |url=http://sciencespo.fr/ceri/fr/oir/les-religions-aux-antilles-francaises |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=Observatoire |language=fr |archive-date=11 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811084314/https://www.sciencespo.fr/ceri/fr/oir/les-religions-aux-antilles-francaises |url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the 1970s, new religions and groups have been 'competing' with the Catholic Church, such as the [[Pentecostalism|Evangelical Pentecostal Church]], the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], the [[Bible Student movement|Bible Students]] or [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (Mormons).<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Melton |editor1-first=J. Gordon |editor2-last=Baumann |editor2-first=Martin |title=Religions of the World |date=2002 |publisher=ABC Clio |isbn=1-57607-223-1 |edition=Vol 1 |url=https://www.bethanyipcmm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Religions-of-the-World.pdf |access-date=21 June 2023 |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213043204/https://www.bethanyipcmm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Religions-of-the-World.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Administratively, the territory of Guadeloupe is part of the Diocese of Basse-Terre and Pointe-à-Pitre, attached to the Catholic Church in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guadeloupe Church Records |url=https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Guadeloupe_Church_Records |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=familysearch.org}}</ref> The diocese includes the territories of Guadeloupe, St. Barthélemy and St. Martin and the number of faithful is estimated at 400,000. In 2020 there were 59 priests active in the diocese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basse-Terre |url=https://eglise.catholique.fr/guide-eglise-catholique-france/structure/diocese-basse-terre/ |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=Église catholique en France |language=fr-FR |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416075928/https://eglise.catholique.fr/guide-eglise-catholique-france/structure/diocese-basse-terre/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The episcopal see is located in Basse-Terre, in the cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Guadeloupe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diocese of Basse-Terre et Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe 🇬🇵 |url=https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/bass1.htm |access-date=2 July 2024 |website=GCatholic}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

[[Hinduism]], which accompanied the Indians who came to work in Guadeloupe in the mid-19th century, has expanded since the 1980s. The Indian community has its own tradition that comes from India. It is the mayé men, a distorted pronunciation of the name of the Tamil Indian goddess Mariamman. There are no less than 400 temples in the archipelago.

Islam was first Institutionalized in the French West Indies by the 1970s, first in Martinique.<ref name=":7">{{Citation |last=Chitwood |first=Ken |title=Islam in the Caribbean |date=21 June 2023 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion |url=https://oxfordre.com/religion/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-1051?d=%2F10.1093%2Facrefore%2F9780199340378.001.0001%2Facrefore-9780199340378-e-1051&p=emailA2wzB4PEmmhN. |access-date=2 July 2024 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.1051 |isbn=978-0-19-934037-8}}</ref> According to the president of the Muslim association of Guadeloupe, there are between 2,500 and 3,000 [[Muslims]] in the department. The island has two mosques.<ref name=":7" /> Judaism has been present in Guadeloupe since the arrival of [[Dutch East India Company|Dutch]] settlers expelled from the northeast of present-day Brazil in 1654. There is a synagogue and an Israelite cultural community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=JEWISH AND KOSHER FRANCE: SYNAGOGUES IN GUADELOUPE, FRANCE |url=https://www.kosherdelight.com/Guadeloupe.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=10 June 2021 |archive-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708041634/https://www.kosherdelight.com/Guadeloupe.htm}}</ref> Guadeloupeans of Syrian and Lebanese origin practice Catholicism in its [[Maronite Church|Maronite]] form. [[Rastafari]] has been attractive to some young people since the 1970s following its emergence in [[Jamaica]]. The quimbois or kenbwa, practiced in Guadeloupe, refer to magical-religious practices derived from Christian and African syncretism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kuiken |first=Vesna |year=2018 |title=Foreign Before 'The Foreigner': Caribbean Fetishes, Zombi, and Jewett's Conjure Aesthetics |journal=[[The Arizona Quarterly]] |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=115–144 |doi=10.1353/arq.2018.0024 |s2cid=165241017}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
[[File:Maryse Cond%C3%A9.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Maryse Condé]], historical fiction author]]
Guadeloupe has always had a rich literary output, with Guadeloupean author [[Saint-John Perse]] winning the 1960 [[Nobel Prize in Literature]]. Other prominent writers from Guadeloupe or of Guadeloupean descent include [[Maryse Condé]], [[Simone Schwarz-Bart]], [[Myriam Warner-Vieyra]], [[Oruno Lara]], [[Daniel Maximin]], [[Paul Niger]], [[Guy Tirolien]] and [[Nicolas-Germain Léonard]].

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Guadeloupe}}
Music and dance are also very popular, and the interaction of African, French and Indian cultures<ref>Sahai, Sharad (1998). [http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1998/2/1998-2-12.shtml Guadeloupe Lights Up: French-lettered Indians in a remote corner of the Caribbean reclaim their Hindu identity] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301053357/http://hinduismtoday.com/archives/1998/2/1998-2-12.shtml |date=1 March 2009 }}. ''Hinduism Today'', Digital Edition, February 1998.</ref> has given birth to some original new forms specific to the archipelago, most notably [[Zouk (musical movement)|zouk]] music.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |year=1988 |title=Zouk, a Distinctive, Infectious Dance Music |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/29/arts/recordings-zouk-a-distinctive-infectious-dance-music.html |work=The New York Times |location=New York |access-date=11 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612194500/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/29/arts/recordings-zouk-a-distinctive-infectious-dance-music.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Since the 1970s, Guadeloupean music has increasingly claimed the local language, Guadeloupean Creole as the preferred language of popular music. Islanders enjoy many local dance styles including [[Zouk (musical movement)|zouk]], [[zouk-love]], [[compas]], as well as the modern international genres such as hip hop, etc.

Traditional Guadeloupean music includes [[biguine]], [[Cadence rampa|kadans]], [[cadence-lypso]], and [[gwo ka]]. Popular music artists and bands such as [[Experience 7]], [[Francky Vincent]], [[Kassav']] (which included Patrick St-Eloi, and Gilles Floro) embody the more traditional music styles of the island, whilst other musical artists such as the punk band The Bolokos<ref>https://www.rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Culture/Bolokos-veritable-succes-pour-les-guadeloupeens-au-festival-anglais-Rebellion</ref> or Tom Frager focus on more international genres such as rock or [[reggae]]. Many international festivals take place in Guadeloupe, such as the Creole Blues Festival on [[Marie-Galante]].{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} All the Euro-French forms of art are also ubiquitous, enriched by other communities from Brazil, [[Dominican Republic]], [[Haiti]], India, [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]] who have migrated to the islands.

Classical music has seen a resurgent interest in Guadeloupe. One of the first known composers of African origin was born in Guadeloupe, [[Chevalier de Saint-Georges|Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges]], a contemporary of [[Joseph Haydn]] and [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], and a celebrated figure in Guadeloupe. Several monuments and cites are dedicated to Saint-Georges in Guadeloupe, and there is an annual music festival, [[Saint-Georges International Music Festival|Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges]], dedicated in his honour.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://saintgeorgesfestival.com/fr/ |title=Site officiel de l'association du Festival international de musique Saint-Georges |website=saintgeorgesfestival.com |access-date=1 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830225328/http://saintgeorgesfestival.com/fr/ |archive-date=30 August 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The festival attracts classical musicians from all over the world and is one of the largest classical music festivals in the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://arttimesjournal.com/music/april_29_19_mark_laiosa/saint_georges_international_music_festival.html |title=The Saint-Georges International Music Festival, Guadeloupe, French West Indies by Mark Laiosa |website=arttimesjournal.com |access-date=1 September 2019 |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831220332/https://arttimesjournal.com/music/april_29_19_mark_laiosa/saint_georges_international_music_festival.html |url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Carnaval de Saint-Fran%C3%A7ois 2013 01.JPG|thumb|Carnival of Guadeloupe]]Another element of Guadeloupean culture is its dress. A few women (particularly of the older generation) wear a unique style of traditional dress, with many layers of colourful fabric, now only worn on special occasions.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} On festive occasions they also wore a madras (originally a "kerchief" from South India) headscarf tied in many different symbolic ways, each with a different name. The headdress could be tied in the "bat" style, or the "firefighter" style, as well as the "Guadeloupean woman".{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} Jewellery, mainly gold, is also important in the Guadeloupean lady's dress, a product of European, African and Indian inspiration.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

=== Traditional dress ===
[[Folk costume|Traditional dress]],<ref name=":0">Néba Francis Yale, «  », ''HAL. Archives-ouvertes.fr'', 25 juillet 2015, <abbr>p.</abbr> 174</ref> inherited today, is the result of a long cultural mix involving Africa, Asia and Europe. This cultural mix was initially based on triangular trade and later on a more globalized trade that included importing fabrics from the Orient. For example, in the traditional Guadeloupean costume, we find Asian influences with the use of madras cloth from India, African and European influences ([[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] in this case) with the use of the headscarf for covering and again European influences ([[First French Empire|French]] in this case) in the adoption of the lace petticoat from [[Brittany]].

The clothing worn in Guadeloupe has mutated over the centuries and has undergone changes that reflect the social conditions and the evolution of society, from the time of slavery to the present day. During the second half of the 17th century, slaves arriving in Guadeloupe were naked or nearly [[Nudity|naked]]. They were then forced to wear rags or the owner's worn-out clothes, which were quickly discarded, barely concealing their nakedness.<ref name=":0" /> Or [[slaves]] working in the fields wore the "three-hole" dress, made of a vegetable fiber fabric in which three holes were made (two for the arms and one for the head). Under pressure from the church and the authorities, slaves were forced to wear the "three-hole" dress.

Under pressure from the church and as soon as the [[Code Noir|Black Code]] was enforced in 1685, owners were required to provide "each slave with two suits of cloth or four alders [about {{cvt|7.5|m2|disp=semicolon}}] of cloth a year... art.25" which only modestly improved their conditions. However, the poor quality of the clothing worn during slavery must be qualified, as it could vary according to the day of the week (daily clothing, Sunday clothing, clothing for special occasions), or according to the status of the slaves employed in the houses.

In fact, the latter could be dressed in clothes of different quality according to the job they performed on the [[property]]. For example, in the case of the maids, their clothes could be of better quality because they had to reflect the image of success and wealth that their master wanted to project.

From the 17th century onwards, the development of the [[Creole peoples|Creole]] costume coincided with the desire of slave women to regain their dignity, with the evolution of their employment within the household or Guadeloupean society (specialization in the sewing and dressmaking trades), with the evolution of Guadeloupean society (free women of colour, freed slaves, mulatto women) and with the influence of the European fashionable costume, which the housewife represented.

After the abolition of slavery, the main periods of traditional Guadeloupean dress were the following:

* 1848 to 1930, establishment of the use of the costume;<ref name=":1">Mission académique: langue et culture régionales créoles.</ref>
* From 1930 to 1950, significant decrease in the use of the traditional costume;
* From 1950 to 1960, period in which the traje becomes a "[[Folklore|folkloric]]" garment;
* From 1960 to the present, the traditional costume has been recovered and is valued both as an everyday garment and as a sign of attachment to the culture of Guadalupe. Today, many designers are inspired by the traditional costume to make some of their creations.<ref name=":1" />

As a result of this fusion of African and European dress codes over the centuries, including materials from distant origins, the Guadeloupean wardrobe includes Creole garments such as: the cozy dress or wòb ti-do, an everyday dress also called "à corps" because it fits the body like a corset; the skirt-shirt, in ceremonial dress (the shirt is made of very fine batiste trimmed with lace, which stops at the elbows and is buttoned with golden buttons. The [[skirt]], full and very wide in the back with tail, is knotted above the breasts); the bodice dress which is distinguished from the others by the quantity and richness of the fabric used (satin, brocade satin, satin).

* The traditional headdress, worn with or without the women's traditional costume, is the subject of a precise codification:<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title="Les coiffes de la Guadeloupe". |url=https://www.atout-guadeloupe.com/les-coiffes-de-la-Guadeloupe_a101.html |url-status=dead |access-date=22 July 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126141131/https://www.atout-guadeloupe.com/les-coiffes-de-la-Guadeloupe_a101.html}}</ref>
* The "tête chaudière" is the ceremonial [[Headgear|headdress]] with a round, flat shape, topped with a spiked knot;[[File:Mobeye-ÉtéDesVilles-Guadeloupe-827.jpg|thumb|La fête des cuisinières]]
* The four-pointed headdress (headdress with four knots) means "my heart has room for whoever wants it!";
* The three-pointed headdress means "my heart is taken!";
* The two-pointed headdress means "my heart is compromised, but you can try your luck!";
* The one-ended headdress means "my heart is free!"<ref name=":2" />

=== Gastronomy ===
Guadeloupean [[cuisine]] is a mixture of African, European and Asian influences.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=D'ailleurs |first=Céline |date=31 October 2017 |title=Le Bébélé: de l'histoire à la tradition |url=https://saveurs-dici-dailleurs.com/2017/10/31/bebele-de-lhistoire-a-tradition/ |access-date=23 July 2021 |website=Saveurs d'ici et d'ailleurs |language=fr-FR |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727123940/https://saveurs-dici-dailleurs.com/2017/10/31/bebele-de-lhistoire-a-tradition/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It uses first of all agricultural products such as poyo (plantain more commonly called green plantain or ti-nain), bread plantain, okra, [[cabbage]], pigeon peas, cristofina, yam or sweet potato.

The sea and rivers provide rays, snappers, octopus (chatou), lambis, burgots (a type of large whelk), sea urchins and ouassous. Orchards provide fruits such as soursop, red jambosier, [[Passiflora edulis|passion fruit]] (marakoudja), [[mango]], quenette, and citrus. Condiments sometimes added to dishes are habanero chili, cive (a kind of onion from the country) or roucou seeds that give a red tint to sauces.

The cooking, often [[Pungency|spicy]] and seasoned, results from soaking meat or fish for hours before cooking, to enhance its flavour. Typical dishes are: fish blaff, dombrés, bébélé (from Marie-Galante),<ref name=":3" /> colombo (equivalent to Indian curry) and matété (rice cooked with crab). As for appetizers or snacks, there are morcillas criollas, accras, cassava cakes and bokit.

As for desserts, there are blancmange, sorbets or various fruit salads. Pastries include pâtés with jam, tournament d'amour (in Les Saintes), caca bœuf (in Marie-Galante)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recettes de cuisine de Marie-Galante |url=https://www.ot-mariegalante.com/cuisine |access-date=23 July 2021 |website=ot-mariegalante.com |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801003107/https://www.ot-mariegalante.com/cuisine |url-status=live}}</ref> or sacristain. ''Pain natté'', a local brioche bread, is often eaten.

There are local productions of candied fruits (elderberry, [[pineapple]], carambola) and jams (guava, banana, coconut). Sorbets such as coconut sherbet or snowball made with crushed ice to which a syrup (mint, grenadine) is added are also consumed. Sweets include [[coconut]] sugar, kilibibi and konkada (of Beninese origin).[[File:Marché de la Darse (épices).jpg|thumb|Darse Market, Pointe-à-Pitre]]In the category of [[Drink|beverages]], the consumption of soft drinks is very important in Guadeloupe, as well as that of a drink locally nicknamed black beer. In addition, it is not uncommon to see vendors of sugar cane juice or coconut water on the roads. Chaudeau is consumed on special occasions (weddings, baptisms, communions) and is a Guadeloupean-style eggnog eaten with a whipped cake (génoise). The [[rum]], whose consumption is culturally imbricated in the Guadeloupean society, comes in particular from one of the ten distilleries distributed in the Guadeloupean territory and that produce the rums of Guadeloupe.

=== Festivities ===
At Christmas, families and friends gather during the chanté Nwel, an opportunity to sing [[Carol (music)|carols]] and celebrate. After the [[vacation]]s, rehearsals begin for the Guadeloupe carnival. Carnival groups parade through the streets every Sunday afternoon until the Carnival festivities in February or March. For example, the groups with skins, the Akiyo group are groups composed only of large percussion and lambi shell instruments. They have the particularity of having no brass instruments in the band, no choreography, they often parade without themed costumes. Since 2014, the Carnival in kabwèt of Marie-Galante has been registered in the inventory of the [[Intangible cultural heritage|intangible heritage]] of France at [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fiches d'inventaire – Patrimoine Culturel Immatériel en France |url=https://www.pci-lab.fr/en/?option=com_fichesinventaire&view=fiche&Itemid=389&id=64 |access-date=23 July 2021 |website=pci-lab.fr |archive-date=14 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614210928/https://www.pci-lab.fr/en/?option=com_fichesinventaire&view=fiche&Itemid=389&id=64 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Shrove Tuesday is the big party where carnival groups compete in the main town, [[Basse-Terre]], or in Pointe-à-Pitre, for the best costumes, the best music or the best choreography whose theme is imposed by the carnival committees. The next day, on Ash Wednesday, the day that ends the carnival, the mascot king of the carnival nicknamed Vaval is burned, which signals the end of the festivities, everyone parades in black and white (to mark Vaval's mourning), and then the forty days of Lent begin. Most of the population is [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and respects this period. But, given the great fondness for festivities, on the "Thursday of Lent" a parade is organized in red and black identical to that of Carnival, with groups of musicians preceded by people parading.

After this period of deprivation, the Easter celebrations take place, during which families usually go camping on the beach and eat traditional and very popular dishes based on crabs: matété (rice cooked with crab), calalou (crabs with wooden leaves accompanied by white rice) or dombrés with crabs (small balls of flour cooked with crab).

== Sport ==
[[File:Osaka07 D2M Christine Arron.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Christine Arron]], the world's fifth-fastest female {{convert|100|m|adj=mid|abbr=off}} sprinter (10.73 sec)]]
Football is popular in Guadeloupe, and several notable footballers are of Guadeloupean origin, including [[Marius Trésor]], [[Stéphane Auvray]], [[Ronald Zubar]] and his younger brother [[Stéphane Zubar|Stéphane]], [[Miguel Comminges]], [[Dimitri Foulquier]], [[Bernard Lambourde]], [[Anthony Martial]], [[Alexandre Lacazette]], [[Thierry Henry]], [[Lilian Thuram]], [[William Gallas]], [[Layvin Kurzawa]], [[Mikael Silvestre]], [[Thomas Lemar]], [[Mathys Tel]], [[Kingsley Coman]] and [[David Regis]].

The [[Guadeloupe national football team|Guadeloupe football team]] were [[2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup]] semi-finalists, defeated by [[Mexican national football team|Mexico]].

Basketball is popular. Best known players are the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] players [[Rudy Gobert]], [[Mickaël Piétrus]], [[Johan Petro]], [[Rodrigue Beaubois]], and [[Mickael Gelabale]] (now playing in Russia), who were born on the island.

Several [[track and field]] athletes, such as [[Marie-José Pérec]], [[Patricia Girard-Léno]], [[Christine Arron]], and [[Wilhem Belocian]], are also Guadeloupe natives.

The island has produced many world-class [[fencing|fencers]]. [[Yannick Borel]], [[Daniel Jérent]], [[Ysaora Thibus]], [[Anita Blaze]], [[Enzo Lefort]] and [[Laura Flessel]] were all born and raised in Guadeloupe. According to Olympic gold medalist and world champion Yannick Borel, there is a good fencing school and a culture of fencing in Guadeloupe.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scarnecchia |first1=Arianna |title=Yannick Borel: "I hope the Worlds will be a big challenge" |url=http://pianetascherma.com/2018/06/22/epee-yannick-borel-i-tried-to-focus/ |website=Pianeta Scherma International |date=22 June 2018 |access-date=28 January 2019 |archive-date=28 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128140128/http://pianetascherma.com/2018/06/22/epee-yannick-borel-i-tried-to-focus/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Even though Guadeloupe is part of France, it has its own sports teams. [[rugby union in Guadeloupe|Rugby union]] is a small but rapidly growing sport in Guadeloupe.
[[File:Vélodrome Amédée Detraux 2015 01.jpg|thumb|Amédée Detraux Velodrome]]
The island is internationally known for hosting the Karujet Race&nbsp;– Jet Ski World Championship since 1998. This nine-stage, four-day event attracts competitors from around the world (mostly Caribbeans, Americans, and Europeans). The Karujet, generally made up of seven races around the island, has an established reputation as one of the most difficult championships in which to compete.

The [[Route du Rhum]] is one of the most prominent nautical French sporting events, occurring every four years.

Bodybuilder [[Serge Nubret]] was born in [[Anse-Bertrand]], [[Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe|Grande-Terre]], representing the French state in various bodybuilding competitions throughout the 1960s and 1970s including the [[International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness|IFBB]]'s [[Mr. Olympia]] contest, taking 3rd place every year from 1972 to 1974, and 2nd place in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.getbig.com/results/e-mroly.htm |title=Mr. Olympia Contest Results |website=getbig.com |access-date=12 September 2016 |archive-date=5 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605130530/http://www.getbig.com/results/e-mroly.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Bodybuilder [[Marie Mahabir|Marie-Laure Mahabir]] also hails from Guadeloupe.

The country has a passion for cycling. It hosted the French Cycling Championships in 2009 and continues to host the [[Tour de Guadeloupe]] every year.

Guadeloupe continues to host the Orange [[Open de Guadeloupe]] tennis tournament (since 2011).

The Tour of Guadeloupe sailing, which was founded in 1981.

In Boxing, [[Ludovic Proto]] – as an amateur, he competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in the men's light welterweight division. As a professional, he was a former French and European welterweight champion;

[[Gilbert Delé]] – as a professional, he was a former French and European light-middleweight champion, then he won the WBA world light-middleweight title in 1991;

[[Jean-Marc Mormeck]] – as a professional, he was a former French light heavyweight champion and two-time unified world cruiserweight champion—held the WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' titles twice between 2005 and 2007.

== Transport ==
{{Main|Transport in Guadeloupe}}
[[File:Marie-Galante.JPG|thumb|A road on Marie-Galante]]
Guadeloupe is served by a number of [[List of airports in Guadeloupe|airports]]; most international flights use [[Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport]].<ref name="britannica.com" /> Boats and cruise ships frequent the islands, using the ports at Pointe-à-Pitre and Basse-Terre.<ref name="britannica.com" />

On 9 September 2013 the county government voted in favour of constructing a tramway in [[Pointe-à-Pitre]]. The first phase will link northern [[Les Abymes|Abymes]] to downtown Pointe-à-Pitre by 2019. The second phase, scheduled for completion in 2023, will extend the line to serve the university.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dinane |first1=Nathalie |last2=Blumstein |first2=Emmanuel |title=Tramway, un projet sur les rails pour 2019 |url=http://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/societe/tramway-un-projet-sur-les-rails-pour-2019-232909.php |access-date=27 February 2017 |work=France-Antilles |date=10 September 2013 |language=fr |archive-date=2 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202061445/http://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/societe/tramway-un-projet-sur-les-rails-pour-2019-232909.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Education ==
The Guadeloupe academic region includes only the Guadeloupe academy. It employs 9,618 people and its operating budget was €714.3&nbsp;million for 2018–2019. The territory has 300 elementary schools, including 1 private [[kindergarten]] under contract and 14 private elementary schools under contract. It also has 52 middle schools, including 6 private under contract. And finally, it has 38 high schools, 13 of which are private under contract.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ACADEMIE DE LA GUADELOUPE – RESULTATS DES EXAMENS 2021 |url=http://www.ac-guadeloupe.fr/ |access-date=8 July 2021 |website=ac-guadeloupe.fr |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624092353/http://www.ac-guadeloupe.fr/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the 2018–2019 school year were enrolled at Guadeloupe Academy:

* 45,510 students in primary education;<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Les chiffres pour l'année 2018–2019 |url=http://snalc-detom.fr/documents/2018-2019_guadeloupe.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803054122/http://snalc-detom.fr/documents/2018-2019_guadeloupe.pdf |archive-date=3 August 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[File:Médiathèque de Saint-Claude.JPG|thumb|View of the University of the West Indies and Guiana, Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe]]45,626 students in secondary education;<ref name=":4" />
* 2,718 graduate students in high school.<ref name=":4" />
* Since 2014, the academy has 12 districts divided into 5 poles:<ref name=":5">Académie de Guadeloupe, répartition des 12 circonscriptions, pdf.</ref>
* The Pôle Îles du Nord<ref name=":5" /> ([[Collectivity of Saint Martin|St. Martin]] and [[Saint Barthélemy|St. Barthélemy]]);
* The Basse-Terre Nord Pole<ref name=":5" /> (Baie-Mahault, Capesterre-Belle-Eau and Sainte-Rose);
* The South Pole of Basse-Terre:<ref name=":5" /> Basse-Terre and Bouillante (including the islands of Les Saintes);
* The North Pole of Grande-Terre:<ref name=":5" /> Grande-Terre Nord, Sainte-Anne and Saint-François (including the islands of La Désirade and Marie-Galante);
* The South Pole of Grande-Terre:<ref name=":5" /> Les Abymes, Gosier and Pointe-à-Pitre.

The islands of Guadeloupe are also home to two campuses of the [[University of the French Antilles]], Camp-Jacob in [[Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe|Saint-Claude]] and Fouillole in [[Pointe-à-Pitre]], the latter being the headquarters of the institution.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Université des Antilles |url=http://www.univ-ag.fr/ |access-date=3 August 2021 |website=Université des Antilles |language=fr |archive-date=19 January 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050119204937/http://www.univ-ag.fr/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Student residences are located around each campus. Furthermore, a satellite campus dedicated to healthcare is located in the vicinity of the {{ill|Centre hospitalier universitaire de Pointe-à-Pitre|lt=University Hospital Centre of Pointe-à-Pitre|fr}}, many schools for apprentices are located throughout the archipelago, an Arts and Crafts Centre acting as local school for fine art is located in Bergevin, [[Pointe-à-Pitre]], and, finally, three sites of the regional second chance school are implanted in various high schools.<ref name=":6" />

== Infrastructure ==

=== Energy ===
The island has great potential for solar, wind and marine energy, but by 2018, [[biomass]] and coal energy and petroleum hydrocarbons are still the most used.
[[File:Usine géothermique de Bouillante 4.JPG|thumb|Bouillante geothermal power plant, Guadeloupe]]
The [[Energy transition]] Law (TECV) provides for 50% renewable energy by 2020 in the territory. And the Guadeloupe EPP plans to develop 66 MW of additional biomass capacity between 2018 and 2023, including 43 MW to replace coal.

For example, the [[Albioma]] Caraïbes (AC) coal-fired power plant will be converted to biomass to help increase the share of [[Renewable energy|renewables]] in Guadeloupe's energy mix from 20.5% to 35%, thereby mitigating the island's dependence on fossil fuels and reducing acidic air pollution and the production of toxic and bottom ash.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 November 2018 |title=Une centrale à charbon va se convertir à la biomasse en Guadeloupe {{!}} Connaissances des énergies |url=https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/une-centrale-charbon-va-se-convertir-la-biomasse-en-guadeloupe-181115 |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=www.connaissancedesenergies.org |language=fr |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526153218/https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/une-centrale-charbon-va-se-convertir-la-biomasse-en-guadeloupe-181115 |url-status=live}}</ref>

This 34 MW power plant, producing 260 GWh/year of electricity in 2018 (i.e. 15% of the island's needs), should reduce 265 000 t of [[Carbon dioxide|{{CO2}}]] equivalent/year throughout the chain (−87% once converted to biomass compared to the previous situation, coal).

Guadeloupe has an electricity production plant, in Le Moule, based on the sugar cane agricultural sector, which recovers the residues from sugar cane crushing ([[bagasse]]) to produce energy; 12 wind farms, such as in Désirade, Le Moule or Marie-Galante; a geothermal power plant in Bouillante, which uses the energy of water vapor produced by volcanic activity (the plant's electricity production ranks it first nationally); a project to harness the energy of waves and ocean currents; photovoltaic installations that contribute to the operation of solar water heaters for homes and to the development of the electric vehicle sector.<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'ADEME en Guadeloupe {{!}} Agence de la transition écologique |url=https://www.guadeloupe.ademe.fr/ |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=www.guadeloupe.ademe.fr |archive-date=25 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725194117/https://guadeloupe.ademe.fr/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Electricity produced by [[hydropower]], which represents 2.2% of total production, comes from dams built on the beds of certain rivers.

=== Drinking water supply ===
The water distributed by Guadeloupe's [[drinking water]] network comes mainly from Basse Terre, 70% from river intakes and 20% from spring catchments. The remaining 10% comes from boreholes tapping the groundwater of Grande Terre and Marie-Galante.

Access to water and [[sanitation]] is problematic due to the deteriorated state of the network, which causes many losses in the water supply system. For years, water shortages have been recurrent and have forced "water shifts", mainly in the municipalities of [[Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe|Grande-Terre]], which are the most affected, with consequences for private individuals and agricultural activities.

According to statistics from the Water Office (2020 data), 61% of drinking water production is wasted, i.e., almost 50 million cubic metres of water per year, due to pipes in poor condition. In addition, 70% of wastewater treatment plants do not meet standards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Panorama d'une Guadeloupe à l'abandon où les services de base ne sont même plus assurés |url=https://www.bastamag.net/Panorama-d-une-Guadeloupe-a-l-abandon-et-en-proie-a-la-corruption-ou-les-services-de-base-ne-sont-meme-plus-assures |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=Basta ! |date=17 February 2021 |language=fr |archive-date=8 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808215815/https://www.bastamag.net/Panorama-d-une-Guadeloupe-a-l-abandon-et-en-proie-a-la-corruption-ou-les-services-de-base-ne-sont-meme-plus-assures |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Police and crime ==
Although Guadeloupe is one of the safest islands in the Caribbean,<ref name="Graff">[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-01-08/death-in-paradise-ben-miller-on-investigating-the-deadliest-place-on-the-planet Graff, Vincent. (2013)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113201042/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-01-08/death-in-paradise-ben-miller-on-investigating-the-deadliest-place-on-the-planet |date=13 November 2016 }}, "Death in Paradise: Ben Miller on investigating the deadliest place on the planet," ''Radio Times'', 8 January 2013</ref> it was the most [[violence|violent]] overseas French [[departments of France|department]] in 2016.<ref>[http://www.francetvinfo.fr/faits-divers/meurtres/guadeloupe-la-spirale-de-la-violence_1848359.html Guadeloupe : la spirale de la violence] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108032128/http://www.francetvinfo.fr/faits-divers/meurtres/guadeloupe-la-spirale-de-la-violence_1848359.html |date=8 November 2016 }}, francetvinfo.fr, 29 September 2016</ref> The murder rate is significantly higher than that of Paris, at 8.2 per 100,000. The high level of unemployment caused violence and crime to rise, especially in 2009 and 2010, the years following the [[Great Recession]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Borredon |first1=Laurent |title=Crime and unemployment dog Guadeloupe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/27/young-crime-unemployment-guadeloupe-france |access-date=27 February 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=28 December 2011 |archive-date=31 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031091542/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/27/young-crime-unemployment-guadeloupe-france |url-status=live}}</ref> Residents of Guadeloupe describe the island as a place with little everyday crime, and most violence is caused by the drug trade or domestic disputes.<ref name="Graff" /> In 2021, additional police officers were deployed to the island in the face of rioting arising out of COVID-19 restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/21/france-to-send-special-forces-to-guadeloupe-after-looting-arson |title=France to send special forces to Guadeloupe after looting, arson |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104130809/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/21/france-to-send-special-forces-to-guadeloupe-after-looting-arson |url-status=live}}</ref>

Normally, about 2,000 police officers are present on the island including some 760 active [[National Gendarmerie]] of the COMGEND (Gendarmerie Command of Guadeloupe) region plus around 260 reservists. The active Gendarmerie include three Mobile Gendarmerie Squadrons (EGM) and a [[Republican Guard (France)|Republican Guard]] Intervention Platoon (PIGR).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr/gendinfo/sur-le-terrain/immersion/2022/envol-vers-la-guadeloupe-avec-le-general-vincent-lamballe-1-2 |title=Envol vers la Guadeloupe avec le général Vincent Lamballe (1/2) |first=Sirpa Gendarmerie, Gendarmerie |last=nationale |website=gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr |access-date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104130810/https://www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr/gendinfo/sur-le-terrain/immersion/2022/envol-vers-la-guadeloupe-avec-le-general-vincent-lamballe-1-2 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Maritime Gendarmerie]] deploys the patrol boat ''Violette'' in the territory, which is planned for replacement by a new PCG-NG patrol boat in about 2025–2026.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lessor.org/operationnel/le-premier-des-six-nouveaux-patrouilleurs-cotiers-de-la-gendarmerie-maritime-officiellement-commande |title=Le premier des six nouveaux patrouilleurs côtiers de la Gendarmerie maritime officiellement commandé |date=2 September 2022 |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-date=5 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305121333/https://lessor.org/operationnel/le-premier-des-six-nouveaux-patrouilleurs-cotiers-de-la-gendarmerie-maritime-officiellement-commande |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/un-nouveau-commandant-pour-le-la-violette-un-navire-indispensable-a-la-lutte-contre-la-drogue-en-guadeloupe-1310184.html |title=Un nouveau commandant pour le 'La Violette', un navire indispensable à la lutte contre la drogue en Guadeloupe |date=5 August 2022 |access-date=4 November 2022 |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104130804/https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/un-nouveau-commandant-pour-le-la-violette-un-navire-indispensable-a-la-lutte-contre-la-drogue-en-guadeloupe-1310184.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal bar|Geography|North America|Caribbean|France|<!-- Guadeloupe -->}}
* [[Bibliography of Guadeloupe]]
* [[Index of Guadeloupe-related articles]]
* [[List of colonial and departmental heads of Guadeloupe]]
* [[Dependencies of Guadeloupe]]
* [[Overseas departments and territories of France]]
* [[Slavery in the British and French Caribbean|Slavery in the Caribbean]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|24em}}

== Further reading ==
* Haigh, Sam – ''An Introduction to Caribbean Francophone Writing: Guadeloupe and Martinique.''
* Jennings, Eric T. – ''Vichy in the Tropics: Petain’s National Revolution in Madagascar, Guadeloupe, and Indochina, 1940–1944.''
* Noble, G. K. – ''The Resident Birds of Guadeloupe.''
* Paiewonsky, Michael – ''Conquest of Eden, 1493–1515: Other Voyages of Columbus; Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Virgin Islands.''
* Roche, Jean-Claude – ''Oiseau des Antilles. Vol. 1, The Lesser Antilles from Grenada to Guadeloupe.''

== External links ==
{{Wikibooks|1=Geography of France|2=The Caribbean#Guadeloupe|3=Guadeloupe}}
{{Sister project links|voy=Guadeloupe}}
* [https://www.guadeloupe.gouv.fr/ Prefecture website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.regionguadeloupe.fr/ Regional Council website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.cg971.fr/ Departmental Council website] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Regions of France|current}}
{{Departments of France}}
{{Overseas France}}
{{Guadeloupe topics}}
{{Guadeloupean elections}}
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[[Category:Guadeloupe| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Dependent territories in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Overseas departments of France]]
[[Category:French Caribbean]]
[[Category:Leeward Islands (Caribbean)]]
[[Category:Lesser Antilles]]
[[Category:Regions of France]]
[[Category:Outermost regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas]]
[[Category:British West Indies]]
[[Category:Former Swedish colonies]]
[[Category:Former colonies in North America]]
[[Category:French Union]]
[[Category:Island countries]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 4th century]]
[[Category:1674 establishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:1674 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1759 disestablishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:1759 disestablishments in North America]]
[[Category:1759 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1759 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1763 disestablishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1763 disestablishments in North America]]
[[Category:1763 establishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:1763 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1810 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1810 disestablishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:1810 disestablishments in North America]]
[[Category:1810 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1816 disestablishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1816 disestablishments in North America]]
[[Category:1816 establishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:1816 establishments in North America]]