"Ça va?" a Guadeloupe Travel Page by seagoingJLW

Christopher Columbus discovered Guadeloupe in 1493. The French moved into the island in 1695, but did not manage to conquer the war-like Caribs until 1700. They then planted sugar crops and brought in slaves.

Britain conquered Guadeloupe in 1759 and managed to hold it for four years. Then the island passed back and forth between British and French hands, during which time Victor Hugues abolished slavery until Napoleon Bonaparte's forcesarrived in 1802 and reintroduced it. The British returned to the island in 1810, but it reverted to France at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

In 1838 philanthropist Victor Schoelcher had a law passed in France abolishing slavery which was implemented in Guadeloupe ten years later freeing 87,500 slaves. Contract workers from India and Africa arrived to work on the plantations.

In 1871 Guadeloupe was granted representation in the National Assembly in Paris and both Guadeloupe and Martinique became departements of France in 1946. Later they were renamed regions, each with a prefet named in Paris and 4 deputies and 2 senators sitting in the national legislature.

Personal Experience

We did some shopping in Pointe au Pitre, as well as some sightseeing. You really don't get much time when you are traveling on a cruise ship.

Miscellaneous Information

Guadeloupe is located in the Caribbean Sea southeast of Puerto Rico. It is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint Martin (the French portion of Saint Martin.) The total area is 1,780 sq km, which makes it ten times the size of Washington, DC.

The climate is sub-tropical. The temperature is pleasant all year, running between 23 degrees C in winter and 32 degrees C in summer. The water temperature runs from 25 degrees C to 28 degrees C. The dry season is February to June and the rainy season is July to January. It is tempered by Trade Winds.

As of July, 2001, the population of Guadeloupe was 431,170, with 90% black or mulatto, 5% white, and East Indian, Lebanese and Chinese less than 5%.

French is the official language, but a Creole patois is also spoken.

Electricity is 220 volts 60 cycles withEuropean standard wall plugs.