The Spanish made two attempts to settle Guadeloupe in the 1500s, but because of the fierceness of the Caribs the Spanish abandoned their claim to the islands.
Due to Martinique’s inhospitable nature, they settled in Guadeloupe.
Guadeloupe has a good public bus system that operates from early morning to early evening, with fairly frequent service on main routes.
Guadeloupe was colonized by France and is an overseas department of that nation.
The harsh economic conditions on Guadeloupe caused much social unrest, and several revolts and strikes by workers occurred during periods of economic depression.
The neighboring islands to Guadeloupe are Antigua to the north, Montserrat to the northwest, and Dominica to the south.
France has the best air connection with Guadeloupe, with several local and international carriers flying directly between Paris and Point-а-Pitre.
Guadeloupe's two largest islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, are similar to the shape of a butterfly and are divided by a narrow mangrove channel called Riviиre Salйe.
French censuses do not record ethnicity, so estimates of the percentages of Guadeloupe ethnic composition vary.
The majority of Guadeloupeans, 91 percent, practice Roman Catholicism.
The occupation forces killed an estimated 10,000 Guadeloupeans (about ten percent of the population) in the process of restoring order to the island.
Zouk's origins are in the folk music of Martinique and Guadeloupe, especially Martinican chouval bwa and Guadeloupan gwo ka and the pan-Caribbean calypso tradition.
Many international festivals take place in Guadeloupe, such as the Creole Blues Festival, the Marie-Galante Festival, and Festival Gwo-Ka Cotellon, to name a few.
Guadeloupe's culture is probably best known through the islanders' literary achievements, particularly the poetry of Saint-John Perse, the pseudonym used by Alexis Lйger.
Today, bananas, rum and sugar are still Guadeloupe's main exported products.
Jewelry is also important, mainly of gold, in the Guadeloupean lady's dress, a product of European, African and Indian inspiration.
In 1791, the Diet passed Law X, which stressed Hungary's status as an independent kingdom ruled only by a king legally crowned according to Hungarian laws.
Bicycles, scooters and motorbikes are also an option, but given the unfamiliar terrain and the volume of traffic in Guadeloupe, two-wheel riders are recommended only for the most experienced.
Guadeloupe's culture is a mixture of African, French, East Indian, and Caribbean influences.
After three decades, the French American Islands Company delegated Charles Liйnard and Jean Duplessis, Lord of Ossonville, to colonize one or any of the region’s islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique or Dominica.
Many valuable track and field athletes, such as Marie-Josй Perec, Patricia Girard-Lйno and Christine Arron, are also Guadeloupe natives.
Getting between Guadeloupe and its associated islands is easiest by ferry.
Guadeloupe was first settled by Arawak Indians from Venezuela about 300 B.C.E., who fished and developed agriculture on the island.
Guadeloupe is a group of islands situated among the Leeward Islands or the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean Sea and comprises five islands: Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Dйsirade, Les Saintes, and Marie-Galante.
Guadeloupeans are primarily of African heritage from the Guinean coast mixed with some French ancestry.
Guadeloupe's political capital is Basse-Terre located in the southwestern coast of Basse-Terre Island.
Once the African slaves were permanently emancipated, the plantation owners on Guadeloupe faced terrible economic hardships, being forced to pay wages to their workers.
Tourism is the major source of Guadeloupe's economy, though a substantial amount of its income comes from the spending of the French governmental salaries, as well as grants from that nation.
In 1795, Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar (1742-1797) invaded Baku to defend against tsarist Russia's policy of subduing the South Caucasus.
By 1674, Guadeloupe was annexed to the Kingdom of France and a slave-based plantation was established.
Lilian Thuram, a star football defender for France and FC Barcelona, was born in Guadeloupe.
French control of Guadeloupe was finally acknowledged in the Treaty of Vienna in 1815.
Many students pursue higher education opportunities in France, which is economically feasible only to a few, due to Guadeloupe's national status.
Rum production and exportation is also part of Guadeloupe's agricultural economy.
Guadeloupe's mean temperature on the flatter islands is 88°F (31°C); at the higher elevations it is 74°F (23°C).
Music and dance important to Guadeloupeans and widely accepted as an interaction of African, French and Indian cultures.
Guadeloupe Pole Caraпbes Airport, north of Pointe-а-Pitre, is an international airport used by French, U.S., Canadian, British, and Dutch airlines.
Except for some privately owned plantation lines, there are no railways in Guadeloupe.
Guadeloupe is represented in the French parliament by two senators in the French Senate and four deputies of representatives in the French National Assembly.
The main birds found in Guadeloupe are pelicans, hummingbirds, and the endangered Guadeloupean wren.
The French national team and Manchester United striker, Louis Saha, is also of Guadeloupean descent as is Swansea City goalkeeper Willy Gueret.
The economy of Guadeloupe depends on tourism, agriculture, light industry and services.
Guadeloupe was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second trip to the Americas in 1493.