Guadeloupe (Antillean Creole: Gwadloup) is an overseas region of France (and former colony of the latter) located in the Caribbean (North of Dominica, while Martinique is South of Dominica), and the largest territory of The European Union in North America in both size and population. The name Guadeloupe came from Christopher Columbus, who landed there in November 1493 while seeking fresh water, naming it Santa María de Guadalupe de Extremadura after the Virgin Mary in Extremadura, Guadalupe in Spain. He was also probably the first European to be introduced to the pineapple there, the fruit had long been grown in South America. The capital of the territory is Basse-Terre, and the largest city is Pointe-à-Pitre. Part of the EU and the Eurozone, it uses the Euro as its currency, and any EU citizen is free to settle and work there indefinitely.
Guadeloupe is wealthier than most of the other countries and territories in the Caribbean, and get a higher number of immigrants than many of the others as a result. While French is the official language, most of the population also speak Guadeloupean Creole, a variant of Antillean Creole French, which was also the language of local community in the colonial throughout the island's colonial history and was claimed as key to local cultural pride and unity.
The territory was tossed back and forth between the British and French multiple times in history, with Britain seeking the sugar trade of the island in the 17th century, as Guadeloupe produced more sugar than all the British islands combined, worth about £6 million a year. The British first captured Guadeloupe in 1759, before returning it to France with 1763 Treaty of Paris at the end the Seven Years' War, then took control of it again in the 21st of April, 1794, taking advantage of the conflict between the monarchists and republicans on the island at the time and an ensuing slave rebellion, before surrendering in December 1794, with the republican governor Victor Hugues freeing the slaves and those freed slaves taking control of the islands.
The island was recaptured by the French in 1802, but the British took control of it once again in the 4th of February, 1810 and occupied it until 1816, with the island briefly coming under Swedish control for 15 months on the 3rd of March, 1813, before the Swedes gave it back to the French with the 1814 Treaty of Paris, and then French control of the territory was definitively acknowledged by the 1815 Treaty of Vienna.
Notable people from Guadeloupe:
- A significant number of French Olympic champions such as track and field sprinter Marie-José Pérec, fencer Laura Flessel and judoka Teddy Riner.
- Greg Germain, actor and voice actor, the main French dub voice of Will Smith.
- The father of Pascal Légitimus, of Les Inconnus fame, was from Guadeloupe.
- Firmine Richard, actress.
The Guadeloupean flag
The French national anthem
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Government
- Overseas department under a unitary semi-presidential republic
- President of the Regional Council: Ary Chalus
- Capital: Basse-Terre
- Largest city: Pointe-à-Pitre
- Population: 395,700
- Area: 1,628 km² (629 sq mi)
- Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: GP
- Country calling code: 590
