1986 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1986 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Agriculture
sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, vegetables
Aid
economic — bilateral ODA and OOF commitments (1970-79) from Western (nonUS) countries, $2.4 billion; no military aid
Area
Galan1e\ St Martin and St Barthelemy are not shown Land 1,779 km2; more than twice the size of New York City; area consists of two islands; 47% waste and built on, 24% crop, 16% forest, 9% pasture, 4% potential crop Water
Branches
executive, Prefect appointed by Paris; legislative, popularly elected General Council of 36 members and a Regional Council composed of members of the local General Council and the locally elected deputies and senators to the French parliament; judicial, under jurisdiction of French judicial system
Budget
$198 million (1981)
Capital
BasseTerre
Coastline
306 km People
Communists
3,000 est.
Elections
General Council elections are normally held every five years; last General Council election took place in June 1981 ; regional assembly elections held in February Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR), Gabriel Lisette; Communist Party of Guadeloupe (PCG), Henri Bangou; Socialist Party (MSG), leader unknown; Progressive Party of Guadeloupe (PPG), Henri Rodes; Independent Republicans; Federation of the Left; Union for French Democracy (UDF); Union for a New Majority (UNM)
Electric power
80,000 kW capacity (1985); 273 million kWh produced (1985), 820 kWh per capita
Ethnic divisions
90% black or mulatto; 5% white; less than 5% East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese
Exports
$89.2 million (1981); bananas, sugar, rum
Fiscal year
calendar year Communications
GDP
$1.18 billion (1980), $3,760 per capita; real growth rate 15.7% (1979-80 average)
Government leader
Robert MIGUET, Prefect of the Republic (since 1985)
Imports
$560 million (1981); vehicles, foodstuffs, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum products
Infant mortality rate
18.6/1,000(1983)
Labor force
120,000; services, government, and commerce 53.0%; industry 25.8%; agriculture 21.2%; significant unemployment
Language
French, Creole patois
Legal system
French legal system; highest court is a court of appeal based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique
Life expectancy
67
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (200 nm exclusive economic zone)
Literacy
over 70%
Major industries
construction, cement, rum, light industry, tourism
Major trade partners
exports — 88% franc zone; imports — 73% franc zone, 3% Italy (1981)
Monetary conversion rate
8.66 French francs=US$l (September 1985)
Nationality
noun — Guadeloupian(s); adjective— Guadeloupe
Natural resources
scenery, cultivable land
Official name
Department of Guadeloupe
Organized labor
1 1 % of labor force Government
Other political or pressure groups
Popular Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG), Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance (ARC), Popular Movement for Independent Guadeloupe (MPGI), Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG), General Union of Guadeloupe Workers (UGTG), General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers (CGT-G) Member o/.-WFTU Economy
Political subdivisions
3 arrondissements; 34 communes, each with a locally elected municipal council
Population
334,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 0.5%
Railroads
privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines
Religion
95% Roman Catholic, 5% Hindu and pagan African
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
overseas department and region of France; represented by three deputies in the French National Assembly and two senators in the Senate; last Assembly election, 21 June
Voting strength
(1981 election) French National Assembly— MSG, 1 seat; PCG, 1 seat; UDF, 1 seat