Butterfly-shaped Guadeloupe is an overseas region of
France. This Leeward Island in the chain of the Lesser Antilles is actually
two islands: Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, which are separated by the Salee
River and joined by a drawbridge. Modern Raizet Airport is one of the best and
the busiest in the Caribbean. Pointe-a-Pitre has berths for four cruise ships
at once, as well as marinas for yachts. Guadeloupe has over 3,200 hotel rooms,
from luxury resorts to small inns. The culture can only be described as
Creole, that inimitable blend of French and African that grooves to the beguine
or Yves Montand alike. Creole may describe a certain something in a smile or
in a walk or in a stew. It is hard to define. It is simply and seductively
Creole.
Guadeloupe covers 530 square miles, with a population of 408,000.
Information provided by the
Caribbean Tourism Organization
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