Portal:Guadeloupe

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Welcome to the...	Kontan wvè zòt asi...	Guadeloupe ••Portal

edit   Presentation of Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (pron.: /ɡwɑːdəˈluːp/; French pronunciation: ​[ɡwadəlup]; Guadeloupean Creole: Gwadloup, pronounced: [ɡwadlup]) is a Caribbean island located among the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles arc, a natural volcanic boundary between the northeastern Caribbean Sea and the western Atlantic Ocean. A result of its colonial history, Guadeloupe is currently under French sovereignty and bears the status of overseas region of France. As such, the island is an integral part of the French Republic, the European Union and the Eurozone. No need to say that the official language is French, even though Guadeloupean Creole remains the mother tongue of most people. With a land area of 1,628 square kilometers (629 sq. mi) and a population of over 400,000, Guadeloupe is actually an archipelago comprising two main islands: Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre (French for "Big-Land" and "Low-Land". – Ironically, Basse-Terre is bigger than Grande-Terre ; and Grande-Terre is lower than Basse-Terre), separated only by a narrow sea-channel called Rivière Salée (Salty River) ; and the smaller adjacent islands of Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des Saintes group (literally: "Islands of the Saints"). Also called Karukéra (The island of beautiful waters) by its first inhabitants the Arawak people ; or more recently referred to as le Papillon d'émeraude (the Emerald Butterfly), because of the shape of its two main islands ; Guadeloupe got its actual name in 1493 from Christopher Columbus, who named the island after the Virgin Mary venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, in Extremadura. With an economy mostly based on tourism and agriculture, Guadeloupe has gained from an history rich of cultural instreamings from the rest of the world, matching its today population, counting of descendants from Africa, Europe and Asia. edit   Selected panorama Panorama of Pointe de la Grande Vigie (near the village of Anse-Bertrand), the northern most point of the island of Grande-Terre, in Guadeloupe-2007. edit   Selected article The 2009 French Caribbean general strikes began in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe on 20 January 2009, and spread to neighbouring Martinique on 5 February 2009. Both islands are located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. The general strikes began over the cost of living, the prices of basic commodities, including fuel and food, and demands for an increase in the monthly salaries of low income workers. Stores and gas stations in the private sector, and public sector services including education, public transportation, and sanitation, were temporarily closed in Guadeloupe and Martinique due to the strikes. The strikes ended when the French government agreed to raise the salaries of the lowest paid by €200 and acceded to the strikers' top 20 demands. The strikes exposed deep ethnic, racial, and class tensions and disparities within Guadeloupe and Martinique and devastated the tourism industry of both islands during the high season. The islands were believed to have lost millions of dollars in tourism revenue due to cancelled vacations and closed hotels. Guadeloupe and Martinique had the second and third highest unemployment rates in the European Union as of 2007, according to Eurostat. edit   Selected picture Pointe des Châteaux, in Saint-François (November 2006). edit   In the news Guadeloupe on Wikinews edit   Selected biography Admiral T, whose real name is Christy Campbell, is one of the most popular and successful Guadeloupean singers of reggae-dancehall music in France. Born in 1981 on the French island of Guadeloupe, he was one of two children. At the age of 6, he joined the dancehall group Karukera Sound System. He left the group in 1982 to start a solo career, releasing his first solo album Mozaïk Kréyòl. During the sneak preview of Sean Paul at Bercy Stadium (Paris, France) in 2004, Admiral T outperformed himself and drew much attention. Universal Music Group's delegates who attended this concert decided to sign Admiral T and re-released his album under Universal Records label, with artist featurings like Wyclef Jean or French rapper Rohff. Admiral T's album became a hit throughout the West Indies, France and Europe. In 2005, Admiral T starred in Guadeloupean director Jean-Claude Barny's film Nèg Maron. The following year, he released his second album, Toucher L'Horizon, which also gained popular and commercial success and got awarded a Césaire of Music Award in October 2006. Admiral T spent much of 2007 in France, London and the Caribbean on his "Fòs A Péyi La" Concert Tour (from his title song duet with Kassav'). He also wan a Skyrock Music Award in December 2007 and a Virgin music Award in February 2008. The following year, Admiral T performed in Germany at Summerjam, Europe's biggest reggae festival and at England's World Creole Music Festival. On 19 April 2010, he released his 3rd album : Instinct Admiral, comprising featurings of Machel Montano, Busy Signal, La Fouine, Médine, Young Chang MC, Lieutenant, Patrick Saint-Éloi, Fanny J and Awa Imani. Besides his solo career, Admiral T is also the producer of the newcomer reggae-dancehall singer Wyckyd J. edit   Did you know... ...that Hurricane Hugo was the strongest storm to impact Guadeloupe since Hurricane Cleo in 1964, and the worst storm since Hurricane Inez in 1966. In addition, it was the longest-lived North Atlantic tropical cyclone of all times, along with the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. edit   Selected quote edit   Topics edit   Related portals Caribbean Haïti Dominica Martinique Saint-Lucia French Guiana France European Union edit   WikiProjects WikiProject Caribbean edit   Things to do edit   Associated Wikimedia What are portals? List of portals Featured portals