CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(5 fields)
Airports
total: 9 usable: 9 with permanent-surface runways: 8 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1
Highways
1,940 km total; 1,600 km paved, 340 km gravel and earth
Ports
Pointe-a-Pitre, Basse-Terre
Railroads
privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines
Telecommunications
domestic facilities inadequate; 57,300 telephones; interisland microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 8 FM (30 private stations licensed to broadcast FM), 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT ground station
◆ DEFENSE FORCES(4 fields)
Affiliation
(territory of the US)
Branches
French Forces, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 98,069; fit for military service NA (1993 est.)
Note
defense is responsibility of France
◆ ECONOMY(18 fields)
Agriculture
cash crops - bananas, sugarcane; other products include tropical fruits and vegetables; livestock - cattle, pigs, goats; not self-sufficient in food
Budget
revenues $333 million; expenditures $671 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Currency
1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $4 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $8.235 billion
Electricity
171,500 kW capacity; 441 million kWh produced, 1,080 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4812 (January 1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988)
Exports
$168 million (f.o.b., 1988) commodities: bananas, sugar, rum partners: France 68%, Martinique 22% (1987)
External debt
$NA
Fiscal year
calendar year
Imports
$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1988) commodities: vehicles, foodstuffs, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum products partners: France 64%, Italy, FRG, US (1987)
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.7% (1990)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.5 billion (1989)
National product per capita
$4,700 (1989)
National product real growth rate
NA%
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.
Unemployment rate
31.3% (1990)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(13 fields)
Area
total area: 1,780 km2 land area: 1,760 km2 comparative area: 10 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
subtropical tempered by trade winds; relatively high humidity
Coastline
306 km
Environment
subject to hurricanes (June to October); La Soufriere is an active volcano
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
30 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 18% permanent crops: 5% meadows and pastures: 13% forest and woodland: 40% other: 24%
Location
in the Caribbean Sea, 500 km southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism
Terrain
Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grand-Terre is low limestone formation
◆ GOVERNMENT(21 fields)
Administrative divisions
none (overseas department of France)
Capital
Basse-Terre
Constitution
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Digraph
GP
Diplomatic representation in US
as an overseas department of France, the interests of Guadeloupe are represented in the US by France
Elections
French National Assembly: last held on 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held March 1993); Guadeloupe elects four representatives; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (4 total) PS 2 seats, RPR 1 seat, PCG 1 seat French Senate: last held in September 1986 (next to be held September 1995); Guadeloupe elects two representatives; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) PCG 1, PS 1 General Council: last held 25 September and 8 October 1988 (next to be held by NA 1992); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (42 total) PS 26, URC 16 Regional Council: last held on 22 March 1992 (next to be held by 16 March 1998); results - OG 33.1%, PSG 28.7%, PCG 23.8%, UDF 10.7%, other 3.7%; seats - (41 total) OG 15, PSG 12, PCG 10, UDF 4
Executive branch
government commissioner
Flag
the flag of France is used
Independence
none (overseas department of France)
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Leaders
Chief of State: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981) Head of Government: Prefect Franck PERRIEZ (since NA 1992)
Legal system
French legal system
Legislative branch
unicameral General Council and unicameral Regional Council
Member of
FZ, WCL
Names
conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe
National holiday
National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Other political or pressure groups
Popular Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG); Popular 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)
Political parties and leaders
Rally for the Republic (RPR), Marlene CAPTANT; Communist Party of Guadeloupe (PCG), Christian Medard CELESTE; Socialist Party (PS), Dominique LARIFLA; Popular Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG); Independent Republicans; Union for French Democracy (UDF); Union for the Center Rally (URC coalition of the PS, RPR, and UDF); Guadeloupe Objective (OG), Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
overseas department of France
US diplomatic representation
none (overseas department of France)
◆ PEOPLE(14 fields)
Birth rate
18.18 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
5.94 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%
Infant mortality rate
9.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
120,000 by occupation: services, government, and commerce 53.0%, industry 25.8%, agriculture 21.2%
Languages
French, creole patois
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 76.72 years male: 73.67 years female: 79.9 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1982) total population: 90% male: 90% female: 91%
Nationality
noun: Guadeloupian(s) adjective: Guadeloupe
Net migration rate
4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
422,114 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
1.67% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%
Total fertility rate
2.08 children born/woman (1993 est.)