Guadeloupe was among the islands charted by Columbus in 1493. French colonies were established in 1635. The British made brief attempts to occupy the islands during the 18th and 19th centuries, but they have always remained under French control. In 1946, the islands were given the status of Overseas Departments. Following President Mitterand’s decentralization policy in the 1980s, Guadeloupe became an administrative region in its own right and is represented in the French National Assembly by four Deputies. However, Guadeloupe’s political life has been characterized by apathy and disillusionment
among the electorate. Since the 1990s, elections have barely attracted more than 15 per cent of the population. All four major parties maintain branches on Guadeloupe, although the Socialist party is split between official and dissident factions and the fierce enmity between them allowed the right to take control of the Regional Council in 1992: since 1992 this has been run by Lucette Michaux-Chévry, who is also a deputy in the French National Assembly. The most recent poll for the General Council, held in March 2004, returned Jacques Gillot as president of the Council.
GovernmentThe Government Commissioner on Guadeloupe represents France, and the islands send four representatives to the National Assembly in Paris. There is a 42-member General Council and a 41-member Regional Council which have local legislative and executive powers on the islands and are directly elected for a maximum of six years.
EconomyGuadeloupe’s economy is relatively diverse by regional standards, with agriculture, light industry and tourism as its main components, but remains heavily dependent on French aid and is vulnerable to the vagaries of the Caribbean climate.
Bananas and sugar are the main export commodities, accounting for over one-third of total foreign earnings (although the banana trade is threatened by a World Trade Organization ruling preventing preferential access to European markets). Coffee, cocoa and vanilla are the other important cash crops.
Industry is largely devoted to processing agricultural products and light manufactured goods such as boats. Tourism is a key and fast-growing sector; mainly ecotourism and a growing market for cruise ship stopovers.
France supplies most of the island’s imports and takes three-quarters of its exports.
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