Guadeloupe Archipelago: French overseas territory

Guadeloupe Archipelago: French overseas territory

Guadeloupe Archipelago is located in the Lesser Antilles. With a land area of 1,628 square kilometres, there are around 405000 inhabitants living there.

Guadeloupe Archipelago:  5 islands connected by an efficient inter-island network

The biggest island is butterfly-shaped, the West side is Basse-Terre and the West one is Grande-Terre. The other islands are: Les Saintes, Marie-Galante and La Désirade.

Guadeloupe Archipelago: An astonishing scenery 

• Nice beaches with crystal clear turquoise waters with gold, white, brown and black powdery sand.
• Cascading waterfalls.
• An active volcano the Soufrière also called the “tall lady”. It is the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles.
• A luxuriant flora with a tropical dry forest, a rain forest, a mangrove swamp, aquatic plants and multifarious flowering plants.
• A vibrant and vigorous aquatic and terrestrial fauna.
• A wide variety of birds including a unique indigenous bird: the black woodpecker.

Guadeloupe Archipelago: A rich cultural heritage and traditions

• A plentiful culinary heritage which blends Caribbean, European, Indian, African and Oriental influences:

– Succulent seafood, farm-fresh meats, tropical fruits and vegetables and an array of spices. With over 200 local restaurants on the archipelago, the gastronomy will strengthen your positive experience.

– The Bokit which is the traditional and typical fried sandwich.

– The local aperitif Ti Punch (rum, lime and cane sugar)

– High quality and original pure Arabica coffee

• A multi-faceted identity where Indian rites, African memory and the rule of the 17th-century colonists are part of everyday life:

Islanders enjoy many traditional music and dance styles including:

– Gwo ka

– Biguine

– Quadrille

– Zouk

– Reggae / Dance hall

• A good deal of celebrations, festivals, parties all year long :

The Carnival is one of the biggest annual celebration.

•  A bilingual archipelago:

The official language is French but majority of the population also speaks Creole. The creole language is the result of our history based on various influences. The creole is a mix of French, African, Ameridian but also English languages. Some improvements have been made over the years, there is a university degree in Creole since 2000.