Guadeloupe
Department of GuadeloupeDepartement de la Guadeloupe
overseas department of FranceIndependence none (overseas department of France)
Guadeloupe as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 85 fields, one of 17 editions from 1990 to 2006.
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Geography
Caribbean, islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, | southeast of Puerto Rico
14 fieldsTerrain
- Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains;
- Grand-Terre is low limestone formation;
- most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin
- lowest point:
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
- highest point:
- Soufriere 1,467 m
Environment
- current issues:
- NA
- natural hazards:
- hurricanes (June to October); La Soufriere is an active volcano
- international agreements:
- NA
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 26% (male 53,118; female 51,219)
- 15-64 years:
- 66% (male 132,846; female 136,147)
- 65 years and over:
- 8% (male 14,617; female 19,821) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.74 male(s)/female
- all ages:
- 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Government
Overseas department of France; President (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Michel DIEFENBACHER (since NA March 1995), who was appointed by the French Ministry of Interior; President of the General Council Dominique LARIFLA (since NA)
23 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 43 seatsone dot, one seat
Legislature, 41 seatsone dot, one seat
Name of country
- conventional long form:
- Department of Guadeloupe
- conventional short form:
- Guadeloupe
- local long form:
- Departement de la Guadeloupe
- local short form:
- Guadeloupe
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Michel DIEFENBACHER (since NA March 1995), who was appointed by the French Ministry of Interior
- head of government:
- President of the General Council Dominique LARIFLA (since NA); President of the Regional Council Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992)
General Council
- elections last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held by NA 1996);
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (43 total) FRUI.G 13, RPR/DUD 13, PPDG 8, FGPS 3, PCG 3, UPLG 1, PSG 1, independent 1
Regional Council
- elections last held 31 January 1994 (next to be held by 16 March 1998);
- results - RPR/FGPS-dissadents 48.30%, FGPS 17.09%, FRUI.G 7.44%, PPDG 8.90%, UPLG 7.75% PCG 6.05%;
- seats - (41 total) RPR/FGPS-dissadents 22, FGPS/FRUI.G 9, PPDG 5, PCG 3, UPLG 2
French Senate
- elections last held in September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004);
- Guadeloupe elects two representatives;
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (2 total) PPDG 1, FGPS 1
French National Assembly
- elections last held on 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA March 1998);
- Guadeloupe elects four representatives;
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (4 total) FGPS 1, RPR 1, PPDG 1, independent 1
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Political parties and leaders
- Rally for the Republic (RPR), Daniel BEAUBRUN;
- Communist Party of Guadeloupe (PCG), Christian Medard CELESTE;
- Socialist Party (FGPS), Georges LOUISOR;
- Popular Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG), Claude MAKOUKE;
- FGPS Dissidents (FRUI.G), Dominique LARIFLA;
- Union for French Democracy (UDF), Marcel ESDRAS;
- Progressive Democratic Party (PPDG), Henri BANGOU
Other political or pressure groups
- Movement for Independent Guadeloupe (MPGI);
- General Union of Guadeloupe Workers (UGTG);
- General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers (CGT-G);
- Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (KLPG)
Flag
- three horizontal bands, a narrow green band (top), a wide red band, and a narrow green band;
- the green bands are separated from the red band by two narrow white stripes;
- a five-pointed gold star is centered in the red band toward the hoist side;
- the flag of France is used for official occasions
Economy
The economy depends on agriculture, tourism, | light industry, and services.
20 fieldsGDP composition by sector(1993 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 320,000 kW
Economic overview
The economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It is also dependent upon France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US. In addition, an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditionally important sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers.
Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, which comes mainly from France. Light industry consists mostly of sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young.
Exports
$130 million (f.o.b., 1993)
- commodities:
- bananas, sugar, rum
- partners:
- France 70%, Martinique 17% (1991)
Imports
$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
- commodities:
- foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials
- partners:
- France 60%, EC, US, Japan (1991)
Exchange rates
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.0056 (January 1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991)
Transportation
5 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 9 in all
Highways
- total:
- 2,082 km (national 329 km, regional 582 km, community/local 1171 km)
- paved:
- 1,742 km
- unpaved:
- 340 km (1985 est.)
Communications
French Forces, Gendarmerie
8 fieldsTelephone system
domestic facilities inadequate
- domestic:
- NA
- international:
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Guadeloupe.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/guadeloupe/1996.