Map of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is a country in North America with its capital at Basse-Terre, home to about 384,160 people across 1,628 km². The interactive map below plots 2 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 2 ports recorded for Guadeloupe in YearMaps.
- Population
- 384,160
- Area
- 1,628 km²
- Capital
- Basse-Terre
- Continent
- North America
Interactive Map of Guadeloupe
Centred on Basse-Terre at 16.2415° N, 61.5330° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and two Îles des Saintes—and 30 uninhabited islets and 3 inhabited islets. 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. It had a population of 395,726 in 2024.
Like the other overseas departments, it is an integral part of France. As a constituent territory of the European Union (EU) and the eurozone, the euro is its official currency and any EU citizen is free to settle and work there indefinitely, but it is not part of the Schengen Area. It included Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin until 2007, when they were detached from Guadeloupe following a 2003 referendum.
Christopher Columbus visited Guadeloupe in 1493 and gave the island its name, after Guadalupe, Cáceres. The native language is Guadeloupean Creole known as "Kréyòl Gwadloup"; the official language is French, spoken by 84% of the population.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Guadeloupe (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Guadeloupe in Depth
History
The islands were first populated by Indigenous peoples of the Americas, possibly as far back as 3000 BC. The Arawak people are the first identifiable group, but they were later displaced by Kalinagos.
The Morel site in Le Moule, Grande-Terre, is one of numerous archaeological sites in Guadeloupe where pre-Columbian artefacts have been found, and is now an archaeological park open to the public. A skeleton found at Morel, sometimes known as the "Woman of Guadeloupe", caused a scientific furore in the 19th century, when initial reports suggested that it dated from the Miocene – long before modern humans are thought to have evolved.
Geography
Guadeloupe is an archipelago of more than 12 islands, as well as islets and rocks situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. 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 Territory of Montserrat, with Dominica lying to the south.
The two main islands are Basse-Terre (west) and Grande-Terre (east), which form a butterfly shape as viewed from above, the two 'wings' of which are separated by the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin, Rivière Salée and Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin. More than half of Guadeloupe's land surface consists of the 847.8 km2 (327¼ sq. mi.) Basse-Terre.
Economy
The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, light industry and services. It is reliant upon mainland France for large subsidies and imports and public administration is the largest single employer on the islands. Unemployment is especially high among the youth population.
In 2017, the Gross domestic product (GDP) of Guadeloupe was €9.079 billion, and showed 3.4% growth. The GDP per capita of Guadeloupe was €23,152. Imports amounted to €3.019 billion, and exports to €1.157 billion. The main export products are bananas, sugar and rum. Banana exports suffered in 2017 from damages due to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Tourism is one of the most prominent sources of income, with most visitors coming from France and North America.
Demographics
The population of Guadeloupe was estimated to be 378,561 on 1 January 2024. The population is mainly Afro-Caribbean. European, Indian (Tamil, Telugu, and other South Indians) around 35,617, Lebanese around 9,000, Syrians around 10,000, and Chinese are all minorities. There is also a substantial population of Haitians in Guadeloupe who work mainly in construction and as street vendors. Basse-Terre is the political capital; however, the largest city and economic hub is Pointe-à-Pitre.
The population of Guadeloupe has been decreasing by 0.8% per year since 2013.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Guadeloupe (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Guadeloupe: Key Facts
| Head of government | Ary Chalus |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +590 |
| Internet domain | .gp |
| Highest point | Soufrière |
| Established | 21 March 1946 |
Facts from Wikidata Q17012 (CC0).
History of Guadeloupe: Empires and States
The atlas records 11 polities whose mapped territory included part of Guadeloupe, from New France in 1636 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| New France | 1636–1790 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of France | 1636–1791 CE | Nearly all |
| British Colonial Empire | 1762–1813 CE | Nearly all |
| The British Empire | 1762–1813 CE | Nearly all |
| The French Colonial Empire | 1791–1939 CE | Nearly all |
| The Portuguese Empire | 1805–1810 CE | Nearly all |
| Bourbon Kingdom of France | 1815–1847 CE | Nearly all |
| Second French Empire | 1853–1870 CE | Nearly all |
| French Third Republic | 1871–1939 CE | Nearly all |
| French Fourth Republic | 1945–1957 CE | Nearly all |
| French Fifth Republic | 1958–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Guadeloupe
Not to be confused with Guadalupe Island west of Mexico.
Guadeloupe, known as Gwadloup in the local creole, and sometimes known as the Butterfly Island (French: l'île Papillon) on account of the shape of two of its major islands, is a group of islands in the eastern Caribbean, and is a French overseas department, southeast of Puerto Rico.
Guadeloupe is the largest of the four departments and collectivities that make up the French Antilles.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Guadeloupe (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Guadeloupe
2 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pointe-à-Pitre | 145,511 | Guadeloupe | Populated place |
| 2 | Basse-terre | 307 | Guadeloupe | Admin-1 region capital |
Highest Mountains in Guadeloupe
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Soufrière | 1,467 m | 4,813 ft | North America |
Ports in Guadeloupe
2 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gustavia | 34.7 m | Very Small | Caribbean Sea | medium vessels |
| 2 | Port Louis | — | Very Small | Caribbean Sea | large vessels |
More Maps in North America
Guadeloupe: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Guadeloupe?
- The capital of Guadeloupe is Basse-Terre.
- What is the population of Guadeloupe?
- Guadeloupe has a population of about 384,160, the #179 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: Wikidata.
- How big is Guadeloupe?
- Guadeloupe covers 1,628 km², ranking #184 by area, with about 236 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Guadeloupe in?
- Guadeloupe is in North America.
- What is the largest city in Guadeloupe?
- Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city in Guadeloupe, with a metropolitan population of about 145,511.
- What is the highest mountain in Guadeloupe?
- The highest summit recorded for Guadeloupe in YearMaps is La Soufrière at 1,467 m (4,813 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.