Guadeloupe
Updated: Oct 1, 2022
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Country Name
Guadeloupe.
Location
Guadeloupe is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean situated just north of Dominica, and about 500 km (310 mi) southeast of Puerto Rico.
Capital
Basse-Terre.
Reason for naming the country
The archipelago was called Karukera (or "The Island of Beautiful Waters") by the native Arawak people.
Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe in 1493 after the Our Lady of Guadalupe, a shrine to the Virgin Mary venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, Extremadura. The Spanish name was retained upon becoming a French colony though altered to French orthography and phonology. The islands are locally known as Gwada.
Flag
The flag was adopted on 15 February 1794. Guadeloupe has no flag with an official status other than the French national flag.
A locally used unofficial flag, based on the coat of arms of Guadeloupe's capital Basse-Terre has a black or red field with a yellow sun and a green sugar cane, and a blue stripe with yellow fleurs-de-lis on the top.
The blue color of the regional flag represents the sky,
the green color represents the vegetation and the land of the republic of Guadeloupe. The sugar cane represents one of Guadeloupe's main crops.
Language
The official language in Guadeloupe is French, although Creole is also commonly spoken. Tourists are generally advised to brush up on their French or learn basic conversation and signs so it is easier to interact with the locals.
The Creole is mainly French-based and has some vocabulary from English, Bantu languages, and American Indian languages. The language is also known as Patwa, Patois, or Kreyol.
English is also spoken although the numbers are low compared to French and Creole.
Religion
The majority of the population is Roman Catholic. Guadeloupe is in the diocese of Basse-Terre. Other major religions include various Protestant denominations.
Hinduism is a minority religion in Guadeloupe, followed by some Indo-Guadeloupeans. According to statistics data, Hinduism is practiced by 0.5% of the people in Guadeloupe.
Currency
Euro €.
Time Zone
-04:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Overseas department of France.
Together with Martinique, La Réunion, Mayotte, and French Guiana, Guadeloupe is one of the overseas departments, being both a region and a department combined into one entity. It is also an outermost region of the European Union. The inhabitants of Guadeloupe are French citizens with full political and legal rights.
Climate
In Guadeloupe, the climate is tropical, hot, and humid all year round, with a cool and dry season from January to mid-April, and a hot, humid, and rainy season from mid-June to mid-November,
From mid-November to early January the temperature decreases a bit and the weather gets better and from mid-April, to Mid-June the temperature gradually increases.
In summer the temperature increases up to 31 °C to 32 °C, in winter the lowest temperature is 19 °C to 20°C.
The best time to visit Guadeloupe is from January to March since it's the coolest and driest period of the year.
In December and April, the rains can sometimes be plentiful.
International Phone Code
+590
Internet Code
.gp
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