Geography

Guadeloupe comprises five islands: Basse-Terre Island, Grande-Terre (separated from Basse-Terre by a narrow sea channel called Salt River) with the adjacent islands of La Désirade, Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.

Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief while Grande-Terre features rolling hills and flat plains.

Further to the north, Saint-Barthélemy and the French part of Saint Martin once came under the jurisdiction of Guadeloupe but on December 7, 2003, both of these areas voted to become an overseas territorial collectivity, a decision which took effect on February 22, 2007.

When to Go

Guadeloupe is pleasant to visit at any time of the year, with a warm climate year-round. During winter (December to February), evenings are gorgeously mild and temperatures linger between 19-28°C (67-83°F). The driest months are between February and April, with rain falling an average of seven days a month and the humidity staying in the realm of the tolerable. This temperate period is also the peak tourist season. The wettest months are July to November, which is also hurricane season, so keep an eye on weather reports.

Most cultural events take place in the spring and summer. The Fête des Cuisinières (Festival of Women Cooks) is a colorful event held in early August where women in Creole dress parade through the streets to the cathedral, where they are blessed by the bishop.

Basse-Terre

Basse-Terre is the capital city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles. The city of Basse-Terre is located on Basse-Terre Island, the western-half of Guadeloupe.

Although it is the administrative capital of Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre is only the second-largest city in Guadeloupe behind Pointe-à-Pitre, with 44,864 inhabitants in its urban area in 1999 (12,400 of whom lived in the city of Basse-Terre proper).

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an island group or archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at 16°15′N 61°35′WCoordinates: 16°15′N 61°35′W, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi).^[1] It is an overseas department of France. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union; hence its currency is the euro.^[2] Guadeloupe is however not party to the Schengen Agreement. The capital of Guadeloupe is Basse-Terre.