Guadeloupe (2004) | Samoa (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 24.4% (male 55,386; female 52,977)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 146,772; female 149,314) 65 years and over: 9% (male 16,730; female 23,336) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years:
31.88% (male 29,009; female 28,069) 15-64 years: 62.44% (male 70,491; female 41,304) 65 years and over: 5.68% (male 4,739; female 5,446) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats | coconuts, bananas, taro, yams |
Airports | 9 (2003 est.) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
total:
1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
2 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 1,780 sq km
land: 1,706 sq km water: 74 sq km note: Guadeloupe 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 (French part of the island of Saint Martin) |
total:
2,860 sq km land: 2,850 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | 10 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles and its northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe | New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997. |
Birth rate | 15.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 15.59 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues:
$74.8 million expenditures: $81.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
Capital | Basse-Terre | Apia |
Climate | subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity | tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October) |
Coastline | 306 km | 403 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 1 January 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe |
conventional long form:
Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa |
Currency | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) | tala (WST) |
Death rate | 6.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | NA (yearend 2003 est.) | $180 million (1998 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Carol MOSELEY BRAUN (Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, resides in Wellington, New Zealand) embassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia telephone: [685] 21631 FAX: [685] 22030 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (1995) | $42.9 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | The Caribbean economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional 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, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. | The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, and agricultural exports. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 15% of GDP; about 85,000 tourists visited the islands in 2000. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.074 billion kWh (2001) | 93 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 1.155 billion kWh (2001) | 100 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
60% hydro: 40% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | soil erosion |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% | Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) | tala per US dollar - 3.3400 (January 2001), 3.2712 (2000), 3.0120 (1999), 2.9429 (1998), 2.5562 (1997), 2.4618 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Paul GIROT DE LANGLADE (since 17 August 2004)
head of government: President of the General Council Jacques GILLOT (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Victorin LUREL (since 2 April 2004) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils election results: NA |
chief of state:
Chief Susuga MALIETOA Tanumafili II (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963) head of government: Prime Minister TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi (since 24 November 1998); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister since 1992; he assumed the prime ministership in November 1998 when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; the post of deputy prime minister is currently vacant cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state with the prime minister's advice elections: upon the death of Chief Susuga MALIETOA Tanumafili II, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term; prime minister appointed by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly |
Exports | NA (2001) | $17 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | bananas, sugar, rum | coconut oil and cream, copra, fish, beer |
Exports - partners | France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999) | American Samoa 59%, US 18%, Germany 9%, New Zealand 8% (2000 est.) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $3.513 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $571 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 15%
industry: 17% services: 68% (1997 est.) |
agriculture:
15% industry: 24% services: 61% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | 6.8% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 16 15 N, 61 35 W | 13 35 S, 172 20 W |
Geography - note | a narrow channel, the Riviere Salee, divides Guadeloupe proper into two islands: the larger, western Basse-Terre and the smaller, eastern Grande-Terre | - |
Highways | total: 2,467 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1998) |
total:
835 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 569 km (1983) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA (2001) | $90 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials | machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1999) | New Zealand 37%, Australia 24%, Fiji 14%, US 14% (2000 est.) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 10% (2000 est.) |
Industries | construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism | food processing, building materials, auto parts |
Infant mortality rate | total: 8.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
31.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA (2003 est.) | 0.8% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | WCL, WFTU | ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 125,900 (1997) | 90,000 (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | NA | agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (1995 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 10.2 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 11.24%
permanent crops: 3.55% other: 85.21% (2001) |
arable land:
19% permanent crops: 24% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 47% other: 10% |
Languages | French (official) 99%, Creole patois | Samoan (Polynesian), English |
Legal system | French legal system | based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by party - PS 29, UMP 12 note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS 1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1, different right parties 1 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by Samoans, 2 elected by non-Samoans; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 23, SNDP 13, independents 13 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 77.71 years
male: 74.56 years female: 81.03 years (2004 est.) |
total population:
69.5 years male: 66.77 years female: 72.37 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1971 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
by type: passenger 1 foreign-owned: France 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship |
Military branches | no regular military forces | no regular armed services; Samoa Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated |
Nationality | noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe |
noun:
Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano | occasional typhoons; active volcanism |
Natural resources | cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism | hardwood forests, fish, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -11.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Mona CADOCE]; FGPS [Dominique LARIFLA]; Left Radical Party or PRG [Flavien FERRANT]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Socialist Party or PS [Marlene MELISSE and Favrot DAVRAIN]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Robert JOYEUX] | Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi, chairman]; Samoa All People's Party or SAPP [Matatumua NAIMOAGA]; Samoan National Development Party or SNDP [TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman] (opposition); Samoa National Party [FETU Tiatia, party secretary]; Samoan Progressive Conservative Party [LEOTA Ituau Ale] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement | NA |
Population | 444,515 (July 2004 est.) | 179,058 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.96% (2004 est.) | -0.23% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre | Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 178,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% | Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.71 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: domestic facilities inadequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 590; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique |
general assessment:
adequate domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 210,000 (2001) | 8,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 323,500 (2002) | 1,545 (February 1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) | 6 (1997) |
Terrain | Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin | narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior |
Total fertility rate | 1.91 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 3.4 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 27.8% (1998) | NA%; note - substantial underemployment |
Waterways | - | none |