Paracel Islands (2003) | Guadeloupe (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 24% (male 55,072/female 52,677)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 148,880/female 151,238) 65 years and over: 9.1% (male 17,032/female 23,814) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats |
Airports | 1 (2002) | 9 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: NA sq km
land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km |
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) |
Area - comparative | NA | 10 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. | 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 |
Birth rate | - | 15.42 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
Capital | - | Basse-Terre |
Climate | tropical | subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity |
Coastline | 518 km | 306 km |
Constitution | - | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands |
conventional long form: Department of Guadeloupe
conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe |
Death rate | - | 6.06 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA (yearend 2003 est.) |
Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies (2004) |
Economy - overview | China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 1.079 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.16 billion kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,484 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% |
Exchange rates | - | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 j(2001), 1.0854 (2000) |
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 |
Exports | - | NA |
Exports - commodities | - | bananas, sugar, rum |
Exports - partners | - | France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1999) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | - | the flag of France is used |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 15%
industry: 17% services: 68% (1997 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $7,900 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 16 30 N, 112 00 E | 16 15 N, 61 35 W |
Geography - note | composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group | 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: 947 km (2002) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | NA |
Imports - commodities | - | foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials |
Imports - partners | - | France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1999) |
Independence | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 8.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA% |
International organization participation | - | WCL, WFTU |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 20 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | - | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique |
Labor force | - | 125,900 (1997) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | NA |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 10.2 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 11.24%
permanent crops: 3.55% other: 85.21% (2001) |
Languages | - | French (official) 99%, Creole patois |
Legal system | - | French legal system |
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 March 2004 (next to be held by NA 2010); 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 September 2004 (next to be held September 2013); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA, 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 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 77.9 years
male: 74.74 years female: 81.21 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | NA | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,240 GRT/109 DWT
by type: passenger 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2005) |
Military - note | occupied by China | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces |
National holiday | - | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun: Guadeloupian(s)
adjective: Guadeloupe |
Natural hazards | typhoons | hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano |
Natural resources | none | cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism |
Net migration rate | - | -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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 (including RPR) [Robert JOYEUX] |
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 |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons (July 2003 est.) |
448,713 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.92% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded | Basse-Terre, Gustavia, Pointe-a-Pitre |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | - | Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% |
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 (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 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 |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 210,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 323,500 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly low and flat | 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 |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.91 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 27.8% (1998) |
Waterways | none | - |