Antillean Creole (also known as Lesser Antillean Creole ) is a French-based creole that is primarily spoken in the Lesser Antilles . Its grammar and vocabulary include elements of French , Carib , English , and African languages .
99-565: La Désirade ( French pronunciation: [la deziʁad] ; Guadeloupean Creole : Dézirad or Déziwad ) is an island in the French West Indies , in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean . It forms part of Guadeloupe , an overseas region of France . Archaeological evidence has been discovered that suggests that an Amerindian population lived on La Désirade from the 3rd to
198-695: A : If a word ends in a nasal vowel , it becomes an : If the last sound is a nasal consonant , it becomes nan , but this form is rare and is usually replaced by lan : Note that in Guadeloupean Creole there is no agreement of sounds between the noun and definite article and la is used for all nouns Demonstrative article Like the definite article this is placed after the noun. It varies widely by region. sa'a Guadeloupe Guadeloupe ( / ˌ ɡ w ɑː d ə ˈ l uː p / ; French: [ɡwad(ə)lup] ; Guadeloupean Creole French : Gwadloup , IPA: [ɡwadlup] )
297-640: A consonant and 'w' and 'y' after nouns ending in a vowel. All other possessive adjectives are invariable. Kaz ou - Your house, Kouto'w - Your knife Madanm li - His wife, Sésé'y - Her sister The indefinite article is placed before the noun and can be pronounced as on, an, yon, yan . The word yonn means "one". On chapo, Yon wavèt An moun, Yan tòti This exemples doesn't work for Guadeloupe Creole where article are always "la", and for haitian creole whose article are more similar but have "nan" in addition. In Creole, there are five definite articles (la, lan, a, an, nan) which are placed after
396-533: A deep mark on the memory of the local inhabitants. In 1995, three hurricanes (Iris, Luis and Marilyn ) hit the archipelago in less than three weeks. Other notable hurricanes include Okeechobee in 1928, Betsy in 1965, Cleo in 1964, Inez in 1966, and Irma and Maria in 2017. With fertile volcanic soils, heavy rainfall and a warm climate, vegetation on Basse-Terre is lush. Most of the island's forests are on Basse-Terre, containing such species as mahogany , ironwood and chestnut trees . Mangrove swamps line
495-523: A half months following the eruption. K–Ar dating indicates that the three northern massifs on Basse-Terre Island are 2.79 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 . There are several beaches of dark or "black" sand. La Désirade , east of
594-399: A hideout for pirates attacking Spanish overseas territories. Les Galets was a place of exile for the criminals of Grand-Terre and for some nobles of the metropolis. There is a legend of an international adventurer Tybalt Rosembraise born in 1798 in the penal colony to a French dissident and a Carib slave woman. The island of Desirade has had a reputation as a home base for liquor smugglers. In
693-533: A literary revival of Creole in the French-speaking islands of the Lesser Antilles, with writers such as Raphaël Confiant and Monchoachi employing the language. Édouard Glissant has written theoretically and poetically about its significance and its history. Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc was a French trader and adventurer in the Caribbean who established the first permanent French colony, Saint-Pierre , on
792-592: A magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale and caused the death of one person, as well as extensive material damage. 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) , Lebanese , 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. Basse-Terre
891-429: A population density of 77 inh. per km (200 inh. per sq. mile) in 2006. Most residents live in the settlement of Beauséjour (formerly known as Grande-Anse). Geologically speaking, La Désirade is the oldest island in the Lesser Antilles with its most ancient rocks, at 145 million years old, being found at the easternmost point of the island . The beach at Pointe Doublé is frequently visited by geologists who come to examine
990-400: A result, they were forced to develop a new form of communication by relying on what they heard from their colonial enslavers and other slaves. According to Jesuit missionary Pierre Pelleprat, French settlers would change their way of speaking to a simpler form to be more accommodating to the enslaved people. For example, to say "I have not eaten" settlers would say "moi point manger" even though
1089-461: A sentence, the word "point" to inflect the negative, and the non-distinguished adverbs and adjectives. The language emerged in a context of plantation slavery in the French Antilles . Due to differing native tongues, it was difficult for French settlers to communicate with the enslaved Africans and vice versa, as well as for slaves of different ethnic origins to communicate between each other. As
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#17330863274641188-583: A simultaneous spate of mass desertions that lasted at least two years until the French compelled indigenous peoples to stop assisting them. 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. Institutionalised slavery, enforced by the Code Noir from 1685, led to a booming sugar plantation economy. During
1287-451: A small colony on the island in 1805. As a result, Dominica uses English as an official language, but Antillean Creole is still spoken as a secondary language because of Dominica's location between the French-speaking departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique. In Trinidad , the Spanish possessed the island but contributed little towards advancements, with El Dorado being their focus. Trinidad
1386-449: A submarine cable because it far exceeds the consumption of local inhabitants. It was not until 1991 that La Désirade was connected to the water network of mainland Guadeloupe. Previously, the inhabitants used rainwater collected in cisterns and drew water from springs on the island. Since the breakage of the submarine cable supplying electricity to the island by Hurricane Dean in August 2007,
1485-403: A union leader ( Jacques Bino ) was shot and killed. The strike lasted 44 days and had also inspired similar actions on nearby Martinique . President Nicolas Sarkozy later visited the island, promising reform. Tourism suffered greatly during this time and affected the 2010 tourist season as well. Guadeloupe is an archipelago of more than 12 islands, as well as islets and rocks situated where
1584-591: Is also spoken in various Creole-speaking immigrant communities in the United States Virgin Islands , British Virgin Islands , and the Collectivity of Saint Martin . Antillean Creole has approximately thirteen million speakers and is a means of communication for migrant populations traveling between neighboring English- and French-speaking territories. Since French is a Romance language, French Antillean Creole
1683-415: 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 —as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings. 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;
1782-473: Is celebrated with a procession . During the government of Nicolas Sarkozy , the opening of the États-Généraux de l'Outre-mer ("General States of the Overseas") was declared. Several study groups were created, one of which dealt with local governance, leading to the conception of a project of institutional modification or a new status for Guadeloupe with or without the emancipation of its remaining dependencies. At
1881-517: Is considered to be one of Latin America’s languages by some linguists. In a number of countries (including Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Brazil ( Lanc-Patuá ) and Venezuela) the language is referred to as patois . It has historically been spoken in nearly all of the Lesser Antilles , but its number of speakers has declined in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada . Conversely, it is widely used on
1980-520: Is crossed by numerous 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
2079-624: Is limited by varying key vocabulary and different words for basic grammar. Nevertheless, it is easy to begin to understand each other completely, as long as one of the two has a basic knowledge of the other's language. Antillean Creole is spoken natively, to varying degrees, in Haïti , Saint Lucia , Grenada , Guadeloupe , Îles des Saintes , Martinique , Saint-Barthélemy (St. Barts), Dominica , French Guiana , Trinidad and Tobago , and Venezuela (mainly in Macuro , Güiria and El Callao Municipality ). It
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#17330863274642178-462: Is located at the eastern end of the Guadeloupean archipelago, in the Lesser Antilles . It lies about 8 km off the coast of Grande-Terre , which is the eastern half of the island of Guadeloupe. The island is 11 km long and 2 km wide; the interior of the island forms a central plateau . It has a land area of 20.64 km (7.97 sq mi) and a population of 1,595 in 2006, with
2277-552: Is located in Pointe-à-Pitre and is responsible for researching environmental hygiene, vaccinations, and the spread of tuberculosis and other mycobacteria . 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. In addition, other factors, such as political instability and natural disasters, explain this immigration. As early as
2376-459: 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. The official language is French; Antillean Creole is also spoken. The archipelago was called Karukera (or "The Island of Beautiful Waters") by
2475-535: Is paraded all around Beauséjour. Though the ceremony itself is only for a day, the days leading up to and following it are normally festive too, with parades and parties. People from all over Guadeloupe and Metropolitan France come over to the island to partake in the event. Every year the "Goat Festival" (Fête du Cabri) takes place during the Easter weekend. Based around a celebration of the island's favourite food, various concerts, productions and programmes are held across
2574-537: Is similar to that of Basse-Terre, with volcanic hills and irregular shoreline with deep bays. There are numerous other smaller islands. Basse-Terre is a volcanic island . 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
2673-500: Is some variation in orthography between the islands. In St. Lucia, Dominica and Martinique 'dj' and 'tj' are used whereas in Guadeloupe 'gy' and 'ky' are used. These represent differences in pronunciations. Several words may be pronounced in various ways depending on the region: The letter 'r' in St. Lucia and Dominica represents the English / ɹ / whereas in Guadeloupe and Martinique it represents
2772-421: 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. In 2017 the average population density in Guadeloupe was 240 inhabitants per square kilometre (620/sq mi), which is very high in comparison to metropolitan France's average of 119 inhabitants per square kilometre (310/sq mi). One third of
2871-405: Is the third-largest island, followed by La Désirade , a north-east slanted limestone plateau, the highest point of which is 275 metres (902 ft). To the south lie the Îles de Petite-Terre , which are two islands (Terre de Haut and Terre de Bas) totalling 2 km . Les Saintes is an archipelago of eight islands of which two, Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut are inhabited. The landscape
2970-483: 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. 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
3069-567: The Battle of Matouba on 28 May 1802. Realising they had no chance of success, Delgrès and his followers committed mass suicide by deliberately exploding their gunpowder stores. In 1810, the British captured the island again , handing it over to Sweden under the 1813 Treaty of Stockholm . In the 1814 Treaty of Paris , Sweden ceded Guadeloupe to France, giving rise to the Guadeloupe Fund . In 1815,
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3168-575: The Compagnie des Indes occidentales , formed one year earlier. Dominica is a former French and British colony in the Eastern Caribbean , about halfway between the French islands of Guadeloupe (to the north) and Martinique (to the south). Christopher Columbus named the island after the day of the week on which he spotted it, a Sunday (Latin: dies Dominica ), on 3 November 1493. In the 100 years after Columbus's landing, Dominica remained isolated. At
3267-494: The Compagnies républicaines de sécurité , resulting in four deaths. In May 1967 racial tensions exploded into rioting following a racist attack on a black Guadeloupean, Raphael Balzinc, resulting in eight deaths. An independence movement grew in the 1970s, prompting France to declare Guadeloupe a French region in 1974. The Union populaire pour la libération de la Guadeloupe (UPLG) campaigned for complete independence, and by
3366-524: The Guadeloupe woodpecker . The waters of the islands support a rich variety of marine life. 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
3465-462: The Lesser Antillean iguana . The two islets of Petite Terre (Terre de Bas, the larger of the two, and Terre de Haut) were designated as a natural reserve in 1998. The two islets are separated by a lagoon 200 yards across and are located about seven miles from Désirade, to which they belong administratively. In 1974 the lighthouse keeper and his family, the last residents, left Petite Terre due to
3564-559: The Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon went on strike for more pay. 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. 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
3663-510: The Seven Years' War , the British captured and occupied the islands until the 1763 Treaty of Paris . During that time, Pointe-à-Pitre became a major harbour, and markets in Britain's North American colonies were opened to Guadeloupean sugar, which was traded for foodstuffs and timber. The economy expanded quickly, creating vast wealth for the French colonists. So prosperous was Guadeloupe at
3762-613: The Treaty of Vienna acknowledged French control of Guadeloupe. Slavery was abolished in the French Empire in 1848. After 1854, indentured labourers from the French colony of Pondicherry in India were brought in. 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. In 1936, Félix Éboué became
3861-558: The cashew fruit is a particular speciality which can be consumed on its own, with ice-cream or in rum-based drinks. Antillean Creole There are two main geographical and linguistic groups in the Antilles or Caribbean Islands : the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles . Intercomprehension between these two groups is possible, but despite a large proportion of shared vocabulary and largely similar grammatical functioning, it
3960-457: The 16th centuries. Deseada was the first island sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1493. When he landed there during his second voyage to America, he took possession of the island on behalf of the Spanish crown , followed by the island of Marie-Galante. Like other Antillean islands, it served as a hideout for pirates or corsairs who attacked Spanish overseas possessions. Some sources indicate that
4059-459: The 18th century, a leper hospital was founded in Baie-Mahault, at the eastern end of the island. The patients suffered difficult living conditions, and this center finally closed its doors in 1952. On the few square meters of the "Place du Maire mendiant", named in memory of Joseph Daney de Marcillac, remembered for ''tirelessly'' touring Guadeloupe to finance the reconstruction of the island after
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4158-583: The 1970s, the first illegal immigrants of Haitian origin arrived in Guadeloupe to meet a need for labour in the agricultural sector; alongside this 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
4257-469: The 1980s the situation had turned violent with the actions of groups such as Groupe de libération armée [ es ; fr ] (GLA) and Alliance révolutionnaire caraïbe (ARC). Greater autonomy was granted to Guadeloupe in 2000. Through a referendum in 2003 , Saint-Martin and Saint Barthélemy voted to separate from the administrative jurisdiction of Guadeloupe, this being fully enacted by 2007. In January 2009, labour unions and others known as
4356-502: The Americas , possibly as far back as 3000 BC. The Arawak people are the first identifiable group, but they were later displaced c. 1400 by Kalina -Carib peoples. Christopher Columbus was the first European to see Guadeloupe, landing in November 1493 and giving it its current name. Several attempts at colonisation by the Spanish in the 16th century failed due to attacks from
4455-570: The French settlements in the Caribbean. Dyel du Parquet became governor of the island. He remained in Martinique and did not concern himself with the other islands. The French permanently settled on Martinique and Guadeloupe after being driven off Saint Kitts and Nevis ( French : Saint-Christophe ) by the British. Fort Royal (now Fort-de-France) on Martinique was a major port for French battle ships in
4554-678: The Green Sea Turtle ( Chelonia mydas ) and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle ( Caretta caretta ), come to the islets to lay their eggs. Tourism is regulated by the National Office of Forests, in partnership with the Désiradian association of Ti Tè. The annual Sailors’ Commemorative Ceremony is held on 16 August. A large procession is taken out, in which Le Vétéran , a model boat normally kept in the town's church (Notre Dame de l’Assomption),
4653-478: The Salée River. Much of the forest on Grande-Terre has been cleared, with only a few small patches remaining. Between 300 and 1,000 metres (980 and 3,280 ft) 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
4752-421: The active volcano La Grande Soufrière , the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles with an elevation of 1,467 metres (4,813 ft). 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. This is where the main tourist resorts are found. Marie-Galante
4851-596: The automation of the lighthouse. In earlier times, as many as 50 inhabitants lived on the islets. Today this tiny archipelago, surrounded by clear waters and huge coral reefs is inhabited by iguanas ( Iguana delicatissima ), which are native to the Lesser Antilles. Petite Terre is home to rare species of birds such as the Least Tern ( Sternula antillarum ), the American Oystercatcher ( Haematopus palliatus ), as well as various types of sandpipers. Two species of turtle,
4950-466: The basalt and composite rocks, which give the area its striking multi-coloured appearance. The island has its own lapidary, which transforms the rocks found on the island into jewellery and souvenirs. The island of La Désirade forms part of the department of Guadeloupe , which is one of the five overseas departments and regions of France. Local administration is carried out by the local commune (municipality). The commune of La Désirade also includes
5049-530: The chaotic political situation, Britain invaded Guadeloupe in 1794. The French responded by sending an expeditionary force led by Victor Hugues , who retook the islands and abolished slavery. More than 1,000 French colonists were killed in the aftermath. In 1802, the French Consulate government reinstated the pre-revolutionary government and slavery, prompting a slave rebellion led by Louis Delgrès . The French authorities responded quickly, culminating in
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#17330863274645148-497: The community's church, which is famous for its altar carved out of locally grown pear tree wood. The central square of the village is named ‘La Place du Maire mendiant’ (‘The begging Mayor’s square’), in memory of a beloved local figure. The ‘begging Mayor’ was the nickname given to a former Mayor, Joseph Daney de Marcillac, who, after a terrible fire had destroyed most of the village in 1922, went from door to door in Guadeloupe begging for funds and building materials in order to rebuild
5247-465: The dependence of these islands of Guadeloupe be eliminated and that the collective of the southern islands of Guadeloupe be integrated into a new entity on the basis of Article 74 of the French Constitution . Les Saintes, like Marie-Galante, aspired to the creation of an overseas collectivity for each entity of the southern islands, or the combination of the three dependencies, on the same plan as
5346-423: The dry season called "Lent" from January to June, and the wet season called "winter", from July to December. Located in a very exposed region, Guadeloupe and its 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. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo caused severe damage to the islands of the archipelago and left
5445-574: The first black governor of Guadeloupe. During World War II , Guadeloupe initially came under the control of the Vichy government , later joining Free France in 1943. In 1946, the colony of Guadeloupe became an overseas department of France. 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
5544-430: The former northern islands of Guadeloupe (Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin). Marie-Luce Penchard, a native of Guadeloupe, who joined the government's overseas portfolio on June 23, 2009, and was appointed Minister of Overseas France on November 6, 2009, opposed the initial project of her predecessor and delayed its implementation, which was stalled. The island remains a dependency of Guadeloupe. The island of La Désirade
5643-558: The governors of the various islands. However, by the late 1640s, Cardinal Mazarin had little interest in colonial affairs, and the company languished. In 1651, it dissolved itself, selling its exploitation rights to various parties. The Du Paquet family bought Martinique, Grenada and Saint Lucia for 60,000 livres . The sieur d' Houël bought Guadeloupe , Marie-Galante , La Desirade and the Saintes . The Knights of Malta bought Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin and then sold them in 1665 to
5742-404: The great cyclone of 1928 , stands the church of Notre-Dame du bon secours, flanked by its bell tower and a massive pear tree high altar, the small town hall, the bust of the heroic Victor Schœlcher, the cannons and a monument to the dead in tribute to the deceased former sailors, which recalls the primordial place of fishing in the island's economy . Every year, on August 16, a fishermen's festival
5841-520: The influences from its origins, this creole has some distinctive linguistic features. Features of French included in Lesser Antillean Creole include infinitive forms of verbs, the use of only the masculine noun forms, oblique pronouns, and its subject to verb word order. Features from African languages include their verbal marking system as well as providing a West-African substrate. Other features of this creole also include doubling to emphasize
5940-429: The island of Martinique in 1635. Belain sailed to the Caribbean in 1625, hoping to establish a French settlement on the island of St. Christopher (St. Kitts). In 1626, he returned to France , where he won the support of Cardinal Richelieu to establish French colonies in the region. Richelieu became a shareholder in the Compagnie de Saint-Christophe , created to accomplish that with d'Esnambuc at its head. The company
6039-510: The island owes its name to the relief of the members of Columbus crew who saw the first dry land since leaving the Canary Islands of Spain . They cried out: "Oh, desired island" The French name La Désirade is an adaptation of its historical name in Spanish ( La Deseada ). La Désirade first belonged to the island of Dominica and then became a dependency of Guadeloupe in 1648, when some cotton plantations were installed. It also served as
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#17330863274646138-482: The island to Grande-Terre and, more specifically, to the municipality of Saint-François. And the island is also accessible by tourist planes that can make rotations at the airfield of La Désirade de Grande-Anse, mainly from the Guadeloupe-Polo airport in the Caribbean . The main settlement on the island is the village of Beauséjour, which has a post office, a library, several grocery stores and restaurants, as also
6237-476: The island, this cove was also home to all those who were exiled in the 18th century. The island is in pristine condition, and is partly under the Réserve naturelle nationale de La Désirade . It provides a good opportunity to see varied and often rare wildlife. While the arid soil on La Montagne's plateau does not permit cultivation beyond subsistence level, the natural vegetation is amazingly rich and varied. Some of
6336-514: The island. They were subsequently replaced by 6 state-of-the-art wind turbines, less noisy and capable of producing a rated power of 275 kW each in light winds . The second site was located on the heights of the Baie Mahault section: 35 wind turbines of 60 kW. The electricity produced by the La Désirade wind farms is 3.8 mW; it is injected into the Guadeloupe electricity grid via
6435-454: The islands of Dominica and Saint Lucia ; though they are officially English-speaking, there are efforts to preserve the use of Antillean Creole, as there are in Trinidad and Tobago and its neighbour, Venezuela . In recent decades, Creole has gone from being seen as a sign of lower socio-economic status, banned in school playgrounds, to a mark of national pride. Since the 1970s, there has been
6534-409: The isle. The island is renowned for its fresh seafood, much of which goes straight from the fishing boats to the local restaurants. Furthermore, the lobsters and shellfish which are plentiful on Désirade are becoming increasingly rare in Guadeloupe as a whole. There are also many traditional goat recipes, including curries and stews, which make up a large part of the island's cuisine. As for desserts,
6633-828: The land is devoted to agriculture and all mountains are uninhabitable; this lack of space and shelter makes the population density even higher. The most populous urban unit (agglomeration) is Pointe-à-Pitre - Les Abymes , which covers 11 communes and 65% of the population of the department. The three largest urban units are: In 2011, life expectancy at birth was recorded at 77.0 years for males and 83.5 for females. 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. The Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe ,
6732-458: The land. This led to the death of many indigenous people by disease and violence. 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. Slave resistance was immediately widespread, with an open uprising in 1656 lasting several weeks and
6831-677: The large islands; mangroves and 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). In addition, the ChlEauTerre study, unveiled in March 2018, concludes that 37 different anthropogenic molecules (more than half of which come from residues of now-banned pesticides, such as chlordecone) were found in "79% of
6930-508: 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 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),
7029-530: The long history of British rule, Grenada's French heritage is still evident by the number of French loanwords in Grenadian Creole and the French-style buildings, cuisine and placenames ( Petit Martinique , Martinique Channel , etc.) In 1642, the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique received a 20-year extension of its charter. The king would name the governor general of the company, and the company would name
7128-600: The main islands, has a basement from the Mesozoic , overlaid with thick limestones from the Pliocene to Quaternary periods. 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. The islands are part of the Leeward Islands , so called because they are downwind of
7227-525: The more French-like sound / ɣ / . Form Personal pronouns in Antillean Creole are invariable so they do not inflect for case as in European languages such as French or English. This means that mwen, for example, can mean I, me or my; yo can mean they, them, their etc. Possessive adjectives are placed after the noun; kay mwen 'my house', manman'w 'your mother' 'ou' and 'li' are used after nouns ending in
7326-543: 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 and the Eurozone , the euro is its official currency and any European Union citizen is free to settle and work there indefinitely, but
7425-444: The mountain palm, the balisier or ferns; many epiphytes: bromeliads , philodendrons, orchids and lianas . Above 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the humid savannah develops, composed of mosses, lichens , 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
7524-552: The municipality tried to improve its autonomy from the mainland. As a result, community cisterns were rehabilitated and individuals were encouraged to install individual cisterns . The first lighthouse was constructed in 1933. It was later replaced by a modern concrete lighthouse. The municipal government of La Désirade launched a bus service called Désirbus in November 2012. Two minibuses (9 and 17 seats) and five drivers run rotations between 5:10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Sundays and holidays included. Maritime boats operate from
7623-515: The native Arawak people. Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe in 1493 after Our Lady of Guadalupe , a shrine to the Virgin Mary venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe , Extremadura. When the area became a French colony, the Spanish name was retained – though altered to French orthography and phonology . The islands are locally known as Gwada . The islands were first populated by indigenous peoples of
7722-454: The native peoples. In 1626, the French, under the trader and adventurer Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc , began to take an interest in Guadeloupe, expelling Spanish settlers. 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
7821-416: The native reptiles. 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 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
7920-506: 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,
8019-412: The nouns they modify, in contrast to French. The final syllable of the preceding word determines which is used with which nouns. If the last sound is an oral consonant and is preceded by an oral vowel , it becomes la : If the last sound is an oral consonant and is preceded by a nasal vowel , it becomes lan : If the last sound is an oral vowel and is preceded by an oral consonant , it becomes
8118-677: The pidgin "baragouin" in 1635. It was spoken by French settlers, the Africans they enslaved, and Aboriginal peoples that resided on the islands. It originated in the Guadeloupe and Martinique areas of the Lesser Antilles. It was not until 1700, when there was an increase in African influences, that this pidgin transitioned into the creole that it is today. The formation of this creole was influenced by many different dialects and languages. These include dialects of French, other European languages, Carib (both Karina and Arawakan), and African languages. Due to
8217-507: The plant species found are the gaïac ( Guaiacum officinale ), the mapou ( Myrsine australis ) and the cashew tree ( Anacardium occidentale ), as well as a protected species of cacti called the "tête à l’Anglais" (in reference to its similarity to the Queen's Guards’ bearskin hats). This same region is also inhabited by rare animal species such as a type of robin called a ‘bicloitin’, a tropical rodent with glossy brown, orange fur named an ‘ agouti ’ and
8316-542: The prevailing trade winds , which blow out of the northeast. This was significant in the days of sailing ships . 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,
8415-419: 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 red mangroves ; on the second, about 10 metres (33 ft) from the sea, the black mangroves form the shrubby mangrove; on the third level the white mangroves form
8514-416: The proper French translation is "Je n'ai pas mangé". This simpler form of French, along with linguistic influences from other languages, eventually evolved into Antillean Creole. (or à before an n) p à n (when not followed by a vowel) nasalized [ a ] (when not followed by a vowel) nasalized [ ɛ ] (when not followed by a vowel) nasalized [ o ] There
8613-515: The region from which the French were able to explore the region. In 1638, Dyel du Parquet decided to have Fort Saint Louis built to protect the city against enemy attacks. From Fort Royal, Martinique, Du Parquet proceeded south in search for new territories, established the first settlement in Saint Lucia in 1643 and headed an expedition that established a French settlement in Grenada in 1649. Despite
8712-401: The same time, the conferences of the "southern islands" (name of the last dependencies of Guadeloupe) were opened (Marie-Galante, les Saintes and la Désirade). The problems common to these islands were presented in six study groups: equal opportunities, territorial continuity, local governance, local economic development, insertion through activity and tourism. At that time, it was proposed that
8811-421: The seismic zoning of France and are subject to a specific risk prevention plan. The 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 Les Saintes archipelago, were shaken by a violent earthquake that reached
8910-485: 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. Few terrestrial mammals, aside from bats and raccoons , are native to the islands. The introduced Javan mongoose is also present on Guadeloupe. Bird species include the endemic purple-throated carib and
9009-407: The time that, under the 1763 Treaty of Paris, France forfeited its Canadian colonies in exchange for the return of Guadeloupe. Coffee planting began in the late 1720s, also worked by slaves and, by 1775, cocoa had become a major export product as well. The French Revolution brought chaos to Guadeloupe. Under new revolutionary law, freedmen were entitled to equal rights. Taking advantage of
9108-686: The time, it was inhabited by the Island Caribs , or Kalinago people. Over time, more settled there after they had been driven from surrounding islands, as European powers entered the region. In 1690, French woodcutters from Martinique and Guadeloupe begin to set up timber camps to supply the French islands with wood and gradually become permanent settlers. France had a colony for several years and imported slaves from West Africa , Martinique and Guadeloupe to work on its plantations. The Antillean Creole language developed. France formally ceded possession of Dominica to Great Britain in 1763. The latter established
9207-529: The two 'wings' of which are separated by the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin [ ceb ; fr ; nl ; sv ] , Rivière Salée [ fr ] and Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin [ ceb ; fr ] . More than half of Guadeloupe's land surface consists of the 847.8 km Basse-Terre. The island is mountainous, containing such peaks as Mount Sans Toucher (4,442 feet; 1,354 metres) and Grande Découverte (4,143 feet; 1,263 metres), culminating in
9306-461: The two primary schools of the village. Close to the square, one can find a statue of the French abolitionist Victor Schœlcher , as also a monument in memory of the fishermen who perished at sea and the town hall, built in the style of architect Ali Tur . This small bay is situated at the westernmost tip of the island, facing the Pointe des Châteaux. Providing the departure point for the colonisation of
9405-460: The uninhabited Petite Terre Islands which lie nearby. On La Désirade, which is particularly exposed to trade winds, the first anticyclonic wind farm in the department of Guadeloupe was installed in 1993, with 20 wind turbines of 25 kW each protruding from the Souffleur stretch. These wind turbines could fold up when cyclones approached, thanks to a technique that was tested for the first time on
9504-678: 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 degradation of water bodies." Despite everything, there is a will to preserve these 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. The Guadalupe National Park
9603-543: 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. The island thus became the overseas department with the most protected areas . The archipelago
9702-465: Was not particularly successful, and Richelieu had it reorganised as the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique. In 1635, d'Esnambuc sailed to Martinique with 100 French settlers to clear land for sugarcane plantations . After six months on Martinique, d'Esnambuc returned to St. Christopher , where he soon died prematurely in 1636, leaving the company and Martinique in the hands of his nephew, Jacques Dyel du Parquet , who inherited d'Esnambuc's authority over
9801-501: Was perfect for its geographical location. Because Trinidad was considered underpopulated, Roume de St. Laurent, a Frenchman living in Grenada, was able to obtain a Cédula de Población from King Charles III of Spain on 4 November 1783. Trinidad's population jumped to over 15,000 by the end of 1789, from just under 1,400 in 1777. In 1797, Trinidad became a British crown colony, despite its French-speaking population. Antillean Creole began as
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