nthly pay increase for the island's low income workers. The protesters have proposed that authorities "lower business taxes as a top up to company finances" to pay for the €200 pay raises. Employers and business leaders in Guadeloupe have said that they cannot afford the salary increase. The strike lasted for 44 days, until an accord was reached on March 5, 2009. Tourism suffered greatly during this time and affected the 2010 tourist season as well. Geography Location of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean In green (with red legend) are the constituent parts of the Guadeloupe région/département among the Leeward Islands Main article: Geography of Guadeloupe Located as the southernmost of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, Guadeloupe comprises two main islands: Basse-Terre Island, Grande-Terre (separated from Basse-Terre by a narrow sea channel called Salt River) forming Guadeloupe proper. The adjacent French islands of La Désirade, Les Saintes and Marie-Galante come under jurisdiction of Guadeloupe. Western Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief while eastern Grande-Terre features rolling hills and flat plains. Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the northern French part of Saint Martin once came under the jurisdiction of Guadeloupe but on 7 December 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas territorial collectivity, a decision which took effect on 22 February 2007.[8] Hurricanes The island was devastated by several hurricanes in modern times: On 12 September 1928 Okeechobee hurricane caused extensive damage and killed thousands of people. On 22 August 1964, Guadeloupe was ravaged by Hurricane Cleo, which killed 14 people. Two years later, on 27 September 1966, Category 3 Hurricane Inez caused very extensive damage mostly in Grande-Terre and north Basse-Terre Island and killed 33 people. Charles De Gaulle visited the island after the hurricanes and declared it a disaster area. On 17 September 1989, Category 4 Hurricane Hugo caused very extensive damage, left more than 35,000 homeless, destroyed 10,000 homes, 100 percent of the banana crops, and 60 percent of the sugar cane crops. From late August to mid September 1995, the island was in the path of three successive cyclones: Tropical Storm Iris on 28 August—caused minor damages; Hurricane Luis on 5 September—caused moderate damages in north coast of Grande-Terre; Hurricane Marilyn on 15 September—caused moderate damages in Basse-Terre. On 21 September 1998, Hurricane Georges pounded the islands causing moderate damage and destroying 90% of the banana crop. Climate Main article: Climate of Guadeloupe Climate data for Guadeloupe Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °C (°F) 29.1 (84.4) 29.1 (84.4) 29.4 (84.9) 30.1 (86.2) 30.7 (87.3) 31.3 (88.3) 31.5 (88.7) 31.6 (88.9) 31.5 (88.7) 31.2 (88.2) 30.5 (86.9) 29.6 (85.3) 30.5 (86.9) Daily mean °C (°F) 24.5 (76.1) 24.5 (76.1) 24.9 (76.8) 25.9 (78.6) 26.9 (80.4) 27.5 (81.5) 27.6 (81.7) 27.7 (81.9) 27.4 (81.3) 27.0 (80.6) 26.3 (79.3) 25.2 (77.4) 26.3 (79.3) Average low °C (°F) 19.9 (67.8) 19.9 (67.8) 20.4 (68.7) 21.7 (71.1) 23.1 (73.6) 23.8 (74.8) 23.8 (74.8) 23.7 (74.7) 23.3 (73.9) 22.9 (73.2) 22.1 (71.8) 20.9 (69.6) 22.1 (71.8) Precipitation mm (inches) 84 (3.31) 64 (2.52) 73 (2.87) 123 (4.84) 148 (5.83) 118 (4.65) 150 (5.91) 198 (7.8) 236 (9.29) 228 (8.98) 220 (8.66) 137 (5.39) 1,779 (70.04) Avg. precipitation days 15.0 11.5 11.5 11.6 13.6 12.8 15.4 16.2 16.6 18.1 16.6 15.7 174.6 Sunshine hours 235.6 229.1 232.5 240.0 244.9 237.0 244.9 248.0 216.0 217.0 207.0 223.2 2,775.2 Source: Hong Kong Observatory[9] Demographics Evolution of the demography between 1961 and 2003 (figure of the FAO, 2005). Population in thousand inhabitants. Population: 440,000 (July 2006 estimates from the CIA World Factbook; note that these estimates disagree with official INSEE estimates and that they also include Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy) Population 452,776 Age structure 0 to 14 years 23.6% male 54,725 female 52,348 15 to 64 years 67.1% male 150,934 female 153,094 65 years and older 9.2% male 17,353 female 24,322 Population growth rate   0.88% Birth rate 15.05 births per 1,000 people Death rate 6.09 deaths Net migration rate -0.15 migrants Sex ratio (male:female) at birth 1.05 under 15 years 15 to 64 years 0.99 65 years and older 0.71 Overall 0.97 Infant mortality rate 8.41 deaths per 1,000 live births Life expectancy at birth males 75.91 years females 82.37 years Overall 79.14 years Total fertility rate 1.9 children born per woman Demonym Guadeloupean(s) (not Guadeloupians) Adjectival Guadeloupe, Guadeloupean Ethnic groups[10] Black African / French-African-Indian Ancestry 71% from Tamil Nadu and other parts of India 15% White 9% Lebanese / Syrians 2% Chinese / others 3% Religion Roman Catholic 86% Protestant 5% Hindu / African 4% Jehovah's Witnesses 2% Language French (official) 99%, Most locals also speak Creole Literacy[11] males 90% females Overall Arrondissements, cantons, and communes Islands and communes of the Guadeloupe département. Guadeloupe is divided into arrondissements, cantons and communes: Arrondissements of the Guadeloupe department Cantons of the Guadeloupe department Communes of the Guadeloupe department See also: Overseas departments and territories of France and Administrative divisions of France Major urban areas Rank Urban Area Pop. (08) Pop. (99) ? Pop Activities Island 1 Pointe-à-Pitre 132,884 132,751 +0.10 % economic center G-T & B-T 2 Basse-Terre 37,455 36,126 +3.68 % administrative center Basse-Terre 3 Sainte-Anne 23,457 20,410 +14.9 % tourism Grande-Terre 4 Petit-Bourg 22,171 20,528 +8.00 % agriculture Basse-Terre 5 Le Moule 21,347 20,827 +2.50 % agriculture Grande-Terre Politics Main article: Politics of Guadeloupe To the right, Victorin Lurel, Chairmain of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe sends four deputies to the French National Assembly and three senators to the French Senate. One of the four National Assembly constituencies still includes Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy even though they seceded from Guadeloupe in 2007. This situation should last until 2012 when Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy will send their own deputies to the French National Assembly. Culture Main article: Music of Martinique and Guadeloupe Admiral T at Stade de France Guadeloupe's culture is probably best known for the islanders' literary achievements, particularly the poetry of Saint-John Perse, the pseudonym used by Alexis Léger. Perse won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the soaring flight and the evocative images of his poetry, which, in a visionary fashion, reflects the conditions of our time." Guadeloupe has always had a rich literary production prolonged today by many living writers, poets, novelists, essayists and journalists, among them Mesdames Maryse Condé and Simone Schwartz-Bart, M. Ernest Pépin. Photo of Francky Vincent Music and dance are also very popular, and the widely accepted interaction of African, French and Indian[12] cultures has given birth to some original new forms specific to the archipelago. Islanders enjoy many local dance styles including zouk, zouk-love, kompa, as well as the modern international dances such as hip hop, etc. Traditional Guadeloupean music includes la biguine, Kadans, Cadence-lypso and gwo ka. Popular music artists and bands such as Experience 7, Francky Vincent, Kassav' (which included Patrick St-Eloi) or Gilles Floro embody the traditional music style of the island and the new generation of music, while some other music artist such as Tom Frager - who grew up there in Guadeloupe, performs colorful reggae music that defines the Guadeloupe island as paradise-like. Many international festivals take place in Guadeloupe, like the Creole Blues Festival hosted in Marie-Galante. It goes without saying that all the Euro-French forms of art are also ubiquitous. The melting pot is emphasized by other communities (Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Lebanon, Syria) who live on the island and share their cultures. Young musicians from Guadeloupe are currently facing zouk-love (Medhy Custo, Slaï), to the dance hall or Reggae-dancehall (Admiral T) and to the creation of independent label (Mozaik Kreol "MK" of Admiral T, DJ G ZUP concept Xiner, G Prod of Missié GG..) Whilst not in the Guadeloupean style Catherine Quinol, aka Katrin, is known worldwide as the lip synching icon of the piano-house trio Black Box, who burst on to the Music Scene in the late 80s with songs such as Ride On Time. Katrin is, however, a trained singer and she went on to release her own work. Another element of the Guadeloupean culture is its dress. A few women (the elder ones for the majority) have a unique style of traditional dresses, with many layers of colourful fabrics, now only worn on special occasions. On festive occasions they also wore a madras (originally the 'kerchief' from South India) head scarf tied in many different symbolic forms. The headdress could be done in many styles with names like the "bat" style, or the "firefighter" style, as well as the "Guadeloupean woman." Jewelry, mainly of gold, is also important in the Guadeloupean lady's dress, a product of European, African and Indian inspiration. Economy Main article: Economy of Guadeloupe Carbet Falls, one of the most popular visitor sites in Guadeloupe, with approximately 400,000 visitors annually. Beach of Feuillère In 2006 the GDP per capita of Guadeloupe at market exchange rates, not at PPP, was €17,338 (US$21,780).[13] The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, light industry and services. But it especially depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with 83.3% of tourists visiting from metropolitan France, 10.8% coming from the rest of Europe, 3.4% coming from the United States, 1.5% coming from Canada, 0.4% coming from South America and 0.6% coming from the rest of the world.[14] An increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugar cane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, guinnep, noni, sapotilla, paroka, pikinga, giraumon squash, yam, gourd, plantain, christophine, monbin, prunecafé, cocoa, jackfruit, pomegranate, and many varieties of 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, solar energy, and many industrial productions. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the youth. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. The country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guadeloupe is ".gp". Sport Mickaël Piétrus at the Washington Wizards v/s Orlando Magic game on 27 November 2008 Football (soccer) is popular in Guadeloupe. Thierry Henry, a star of the French National Team and MLS club New York Red Bulls, often visits as his father Antoine was originally from the island. William Gallas, whose parentage is Guadeloupean, visits the island when not playing for Tottenham or the French National team. Lilian Thuram, a former star football defender for France and FC Barcelona, was born in Guadeloupe. Dimitri Ouvre, professional surfer. The French national team and Everton F.C. striker Louis Saha is also of Guadeloupean descent, as is Kettering Town F.C. goalkeeper Willy Gueret. Pascal Chimbonda of Doncaster Rovers was also born in Guadeloupe. Inter Milan star Jonathan Biabiany is also of Guadeloupean descent. Stéphane Auvray is a Guadeloupean footballer who currently plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer. Ronald Zubar, who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Barclays Premier League is born in Guadeloupe, as is his younger brother Stephane Zubar, who plays for npower League One side AFC Bournemouth. The national football team experienced recent success, advancing all the way to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals, where they were defeated just 1-0 by CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico. Many fine track and field athletes, such as Marie-José Pérec, Patricia Girard-Léno, and Christine Arron are also Guadeloupe natives. The NBA players Mickaël Piétrus, and Rodrigue Beaubois were born in this island. Triple Olympic champion Marie-José Pérec, fourth-fastest 100m runner Christine Arron and fencing champion Laura Flessel all were born and raised in Guadeloupe. Thierry Henry during a match of FC Barcelona Even though Guadeloupe is part of France, it has its own sports teams. There is also a rugby union, a small but rapidly growing sport in Guadeloupe. France international & Stade Français centre Mathieu Bastareaud (a cousin of French international & Tottenham Hotspur centre-back William Gallas) was born in Guadeloupe. This island is also internationally best known for hosting the Karujet Race – Jet Ski World Championship since 1998. This amazing 9-stage, 4-day event unites competitors from all around the world (mostly Caribbeans, Americans and Europeans). The one-of-a-kind Karujet, generally made up of 7 races all around the island, has an established reputation as one of the most difficult championships in which to compete. All challengers, both amateurs and professionals, who attend the Karujet are astonished by the diverse, incredible and unique waterbodies the "butterfly island" provides. The Route du Rhum is one of the most prominent event nautical French sport that occur every 4 years. World-famous bodybuilder Serge Nubret was born in Anse-Bertrand, Grande-Terre, representing the French state in various bodybuilding competitions throughout the 1960s and 1970s, taking 2nd place in both the 1973 and 1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia contests.[citation needed] On the female side, Marie-Laure Mahabir also hails from Guadeloupe. See also Geography portal North America portal Caribbean portal France portal Bibliography of Guadeloupe Index of Guadeloupe-related articles 2009 French Caribbean general strikes Bibliography of Guadeloupe Caribbean Sea Colonial and Departmental Heads of Guadeloupe Leeward Islands List of Guadeloupe-related topics Overseas departments and territories of France Notes ^ a b Figure without the territories of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy detached from Guadeloupe on 22 February 2007. ^ Guadeloupe is pictured on all Euro banknotes, on the backside at the bottom of each note, right of the Greek ???O (EURO) next to the denomination. ^ "Pineapple History". Homecooking.about.com. 11 February 2010. http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/pineapplehist.htm. Retrieved 16 April 2010.  ^ pg 241David Barry Gaspar (Editor), Darlene Clark Hine (Editor). More Than Chattel: Black Women and Slavery in the Americas (April 1996 ed.). Indiana University Press. p. 360. ISBN 0253210437. Hugues was able to use his expeditionary force of 1,500 men and an enthusiastic slave population to repel the British invasion of Guadeloupe after a seven-month struggle, which ended in December 1794. ^ World Statesmen.org: Guadeloupe ^ Byrne, Joseph Patrick (2008). Encyclopedia of Pestilence, Pandemics, and Plagues: A-M. ABC-CLIO. p. 107. ISBN 0313341028. http://books.google.com/books?id=5Pvi-ksuKFIC&pg=PA107&dq#v=onepage&q=&f=false.  ^ The French law was passed in February 2007, but the new status came in force once the local assemblies elected, with second leg of the vote on 15 July 2007. See J. P. Thiellay, Droit des outre-mers, Paris:Dalloz, 2007. ^ "Guadeloupe Arrondissements". Statoids.com. http://www.statoids.com/ugp.html. Retrieved 16 April 2010.  ^ "Climatological Information for Guadeloupe". http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/s_america/mx_cam/guadeloupe_e.htm.  ^ Approximate figures as ethnicity is not polled during a French census. ^ Defined as those aged 15 or over who can read and write; based on 1982 estimates. ^ Sahai, Sharad (1998).Guadeloupe Lights Up: French-lettered Indians in a remote corner of the Caribbean reclaim their Hindu identity. Hinduism Today, Digital Edition, February 1998. ^ (French) INSEE-CEROM. "Tableau de bord économique de la Guyane". http://www.insee.fr/FR/insee_regions/guyane/publi/tabbor_gy.pdf. Retrieved 20 January 2008.  ^ "Guadeloupe – Economie" (in FRENCH). 1998. http://perso.orange.fr/manioc.guadeloupe/guadeloupe/Guadeloupe%20-%20Economie.htm. Retrieved 10 June 2006.  External links Find more about Guadeloupe on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions and translations from Wiktionary Images and media from Commons Learning resources from Wikiversity News stories from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Guadeloupe at the Open Directory Project Wikimedia Atlas of Guadeloupe Government Préfecture de la région Guadeloupe—Official site of the prefecture of Guadeloupe (in French) Région Guadeloupe—Official site of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe Travel Les Îles de Guadeloupe—Official site of the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board Guadeloupe travel guide from Wikitravel Travel Pages – Guadeloupe Office du Tourisme de Marie-Galante—Official site of the Tourist Board of Marie-Galante Office du Tourisme du Moule—Official site of the Tourist Board of Le Moule Guadeloupe Islands—site of the Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board Bouillante—site of Bouillante Tourism Board Guadeloupe—Guadeloupe Islands Tourism Board Guadeloupe West Islands—Guadeloupe West Islands v d e  Guadeloupe Geography Arrondissements · Communes · Cantons · Islands · Volcanoes · Rivers · Climate · Environment Culture Demographics · Music · Film · Sports · Football · Coat of arms · Flag Other topics Politics · Elections · Political parties · History (Slavery · Piracy) · Economy · Airports · Communications · Transport Index   Geographic locale v d e Countries and territories of the Caribbean   Sovereign states Commonwealth Realms Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Grenada Jamaica St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Commonwealth republics Dominica Trinidad and Tobago Other republics Cuba Dominican Republic Haiti   Dependencies and other areas by parent state United Kingdom Anguilla British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands Netherlands Aruba Bonaire Curaçao Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten France Guadeloupe Martinique St. Barthélemy St. Martin United States Bajo Nuevo Bank Navassa Island Puerto Rico Serranilla Bank U.S. Virgin Islands v d e Countries and dependencies of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador France Guadeloupe Martinique Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Panama St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Curaçao Sint Maarten United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Bajo Nuevo Bank Navassa Is