|
 Guadeloupe
(pop: 230,570) (1,510 square kilometers) is really
two islands, separated by the narrow bridged strait of the
Rivière Salée. To the west is mountainous egg-shaped
Basse-Terre, with the volcano Grande Soufriere (1,484
meters) at its center. It has an area of 848 square
kilometers, a total of 150,000 inhabitants, and the
administrative capital of the same name on its southwest
coast. The commercial capital of Guadeloupe is Pointe-à-Pitre,
situated in the flat half of the island, Grande-Terre.
Grande-Terre, is triangular in shape and has an area of
590 square kilometers. The names of the two parts shows a
most un-Gallic disregard of logic as Basse-Terre is the
higher and Grande-Terre is the smaller; possibly they were
named by sailors, who found the winds lower on the
Basse-Terre and greater on the Grande-Terre side.
Click here to go to Guadeloupe Web site. |
