Guadeloupe Country & Tourist Information

Location
Caribbean, at the arc of the Leeward group of islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Area
Total: 1,621 sq km (628 sq miles). Basse-Terre: 839 sq km (324 sq miles). Grand-Terre: 564 sq km (218 sq miles). Marie-Galante: 150 sq km (58 sq miles). La Désirade: 29.7 sq km (11.5 sq miles). Les Saintes: 13.9 sq km (5.4 sq miles). St-Barthélemy: 13 sq km (8 sq miles). St-Martin (which shares the island with St Maarten, part of the Netherlands Antilles): 86 sq km (33 sq miles) (the French side: 52 sq km/20 sq miles; the Dutch side: 34 sq km/13 sq miles).

Population
448,713 (official estimate 2005).

Population Density
247.8 per sq km.

Capital
Basse-Terre (administrative).
Population: 12,410 (1999). Pointe-à-Pitre, on Grande-Terre (commercial center). Population: 20,000 (UN estimate 2003).

Government
Guadeloupe is an Overseas Department of France and as such is an integral part of the French Republic.

Language
The official language is French. The lingua franca is Creole. English is spoken by professionals and those in the tourism industry.

Religion
The majority are Roman Catholic, with a minority of predominantly Evangelical Protestant groups.

Time
GMT - 4.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of Government
President of the General Council Jacques Gillot since 2001.

Head of State
President Nicolas Sarkozy since 2007, represented locally by Prefect Paul Girot de Langlade since 2004.

Recent History
Guadeloupe’s political life has been characterized by apathy and disillusionment among the electorate. Since the 1990s, elections have barely attracted more than 15% 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.

The government commissioner on Guadeloupe represents France, and the islands send four representatives to the National Assembly in Paris.

Telephone
Country code: 590. Good internal network. There are no area codes. Phonecards (télécartes) are necessary to make calls from public telephones.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Analogue networks are compatible with most US handsets, which can be activated on the island by dialing 0 or by registering online. Coverage is generally good.

Internet
Available in Internet cafes at Saint-Francois, Sainte Anne, Mare-Gaillard and Pointe-a-Pitre; there are also terminals in some larger post offices and public buildings.

Media



Post
Airmail takes about one week to reach Europe. Postal rates are the same as metropolitan France.

Press
• Newspapers are all in French.
• The main daily is France-Antilles.
• Journal de St Barths is in French and English.

Radio
• Radio Caraibes International is the local radio station and is privately operated, as is NRJ Antilles.
• RFO, a public broadcaster, also operates.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
25 Feb Ash Wednesday.
13 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
8 May Victory Day.
21 May Ascension.
27 May Abolition Day.
1 Jun Whit Monday.
14 Jul Bastille Day.
21 Jul Schoelcher Day.
15 Aug Assumption.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
11 Nov Remembrance/Armistice Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
17 Feb Ash Wednesday.
5 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
8 May Victory Day.
13 May Ascension.
24 May Whit Monday.
27 May Abolition Day.
14 Jul Bastille Day.
21 Jul Schoelcher Day.
15 Aug Assumption.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
11 Nov Remembrance/Armistice Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

Note
Days in lieu are generally not given for holidays that fall on a weekend.

Contact Information:

Diplomatic representation
Guadeloupe is an Overseas Department of the Republic of France, and is represented abroad by French embassies – see France section.

Office du Tourisme
5 square de la Banque, BP 555, 97166 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
Tel: (590) 820 930.
Website: www.lesilesdeguadeloupe.com

St-Barthélemy Office du Tourisme
Quai du Général de Gaulle, Gustavia, BP 113, 97133 St-Barthélemy, Guadeloupe
Tel: (590) 278 727.
Website: www.st-barths.com

St-Martin Tourist Office
Route Sandy Ground, Marigot, 97150 St-Martin, Guadeloupe
Tel: (590) 875 721.
Website: www.st-martin.org

French Consulate General in the UK
21 Cromwell Road, London SW7 2EN, UK
Visa section: 6A Cromwell Place, London SW7 2EW, UK
Tel: (020) 7073 1200 (consular section) or 1250 (visa section) or 1295 (visa applications in progress; 1500-1700 only) or 09065 508 940 (visa information service; calls cost £1 per minute) or 266 654 (24-hour visa application form request service; calls cost £1.50 per minute) or 540 700 (24-hour automated visa appointment booking service).
Website: www.consulfrance-londres.org
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0845-1200 and Fri 0845-1130.

Maison de la France (French Government Tourist Office) in the UK
178 Piccadilly, London W1J 9AL, UK
Tel: 09068 244 123 (information line; calls cost 60p per minute).
Website: www.franceguide.com

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com


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