GUADELOUPE                                                                      
(overseas department of France)                                                 
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 1,780 km2; land area: 1,760 km2                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: 10 times the size of Washington, DC                           
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 306 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;                   
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Climate: subtropical tempered by trade winds; relatively high                   
humidity                                                                        
                                                                                
Terrain: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior                        
mountains; Grand-Terre is low limestone formation                               
                                                                                
Natural resources: cultivable land, beaches, and climate that                   
foster tourism                                                                  
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and                      
pastures 13%; forest and woodland 40%; other 24%; includes irrigated 1%         
                                                                                
Environment: subject to hurricanes (June to October); La                        
Soufriere is an active volcano                                                  
                                                                                
Note: located 500 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea              
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 344,897 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 77 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Guadeloupian(s); adjective--Guadeloupe                       
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: black or mulatto 90%; white 5%; East Indian,                  
Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%                                                  
                                                                                
Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%                        
                                                                                
Language: French, creole patois                                                 
                                                                                
Literacy: 90% (male 90%, female 91%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1982)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 120,000; 53.0% services, government, and commerce,                 
25.8% industry, 21.2% agriculture                                               
                                                                                
Organized labor: 11% of labor force                                             
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Department of Guadeloupe                                        
                                                                                
Type: overseas department of France                                             
                                                                                
Capital: Basse-Terre                                                            
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)                  
                                                                                
Independence: none (overseas department of France)                              
                                                                                
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)                           
                                                                                
Legal system: French legal system                                               
                                                                                
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)                        
                                                                                
Executive branch: government commissioner                                       
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and unicameral                   
Regional Council                                                                
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) with jurisdiction               
over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique                                  
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since                            
21 May 1981);                                                                   
                                                                                
Head of Government--Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Paul PROUST               
(since November 1989)                                                           
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Rally for the Republic (RPR), Marlene CAPTANT;                                  
Communist Party of Guadeloupe (PCG), Christian Medard CELESTE;                  
Socialist Party (PSG), Dominique LARIFLA;                                       
Independent Republicans;                                                        
Union for French Democracy (UDF);                                               
Union for a New Majority (UNM)                                                  
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
General Council --last held NA 1986 (next to be held by NA 1992);               
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(42 total) number of seats by party NA;                                  
                                                                                
Regional Council--last held on 16 March 1986 (next to be held                   
by 16 March 1992);                                                              
results--RPR 33.1%, PS 28.7%, PCG 23.8%, UDF 10.7%, other 3.7%;                 
seats--(41 total) RPR 15, PS 12, PCG 10, UDF 4;                                 
                                                                                
French Senate--last held on 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be                      
held June 1994); Guadeloupe elects two representatives;                         
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(2 total) PCG 1, PS 1;                                                   
                                                                                
French National Assembly--last held on 5 and 12 June 1988                       
(next to be held June 1994); Guadeloupe elects four representatives;            
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(4 total) PS 2 seats, RPR 1 seat, PCG 1 seat                             
                                                                                
Communists: 3,000 est.                                                          
                                                                                
Other political or pressure groups: Popular Union for the                       
Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG); Popular Movement for Independent               
Guadeloupe (MPGI); General Union of Guadeloupe Workers (UGTG); General          
Federation of Guadeloupe Workers (CGT-G); Christian Movement for                
the Liberation of Guadeloupe (KLPG)                                             
                                                                                
Member of: FZ, WCL, WFTU                                                        
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France,                 
the interests of Guadeloupe are represented in the US by France                 
                                                                                
Flag: the flag of France is used                                                
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: The economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light                    
industry, and services. It is also dependent upon France for large              
subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from       
the US. In addition, an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit         
the islands. The traditionally important sugarcane crop is slowly being         
replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of         
export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops        
are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still              
dependent on imported food, which comes mainly from France. Light               
industry consists mostly of sugar and rum production. Most manufactured         
goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the          
young.                                                                          
                                                                                
GDP: $1.1 billion, per capita $3,300; real growth rate NA% (1987)               
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (1988)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 38% (1987)                                                   
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $254 million; expenditures $254 million, including             
capital expenditures of NA (1989)                                               
                                                                                
Exports: $153 million (f.o.b., 1988);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--bananas, sugar, rum;                                               
                                                                                
partners--France 68%, Martinique 22% (1987)                                     
                                                                                
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1988);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--vehicles, foodstuffs, clothing and other consumer                  
goods, construction materials, petroleum products;                              
                                                                                
partners--France 64%, Italy, FRG, US (1987)                                     
                                                                                
External debt: $NA                                                              
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA%                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 171,500 kW capacity; 441 million kWh produced,                     
1,290 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism                           
                                                                                
Agriculture: cash crops--bananas and sugarcane; other products                  
include tropical fruits and vegetables; livestock--cattle, pigs, and            
goats; not self-sufficient in food                                              
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $4                     
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $7.9 billion                                                         
                                                                                
Currency: French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100               
centimes                                                                        
                                                                                
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991),              
5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261              
(1986), 8.9852 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines                       
                                                                                
Highways: 1,940 km total; 1,600 km paved, 340 km gravel and earth               
                                                                                
Ports: Pointe-a-Pitre, Basse-Terre                                              
                                                                                
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
Airports: 9 total, 9 usable, 8 with permanent-surface runways;                  
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with            
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: domestic facilities inadequate; 57,300                      
telephones; interisland radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,           
and Martinique; stations--2 AM, 8 FM (30 private stations licensed to           
broadcast FM), 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT ground station                   
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie                                            
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 98,069; NA fit for military                 
service                                                                         
                                                                                
Note: defense is responsibility of France                                       
                                                                                
