Guadeloupe - Introduction
Guadeloupe is an archipielago of 6 islands situated in the Caribbean Sea. 1628 km² which are seen by many people as a paradise on Earth for its climate, scenery, fauna and flora. It can be pretty weird to admit that these territories belong to the European Union and, as part of a whole, the currency is the euro.
After the Spaniards set foot in the island, the British and the French fought several times for this piece of land in the middle of nowhere, which was seen as a strategic place: the door to the Caribbean Sea. When the French defeated in Canada, they agreed with Great Britain that they would leave the mainland Canada if the British recognised that Guadeloupe will belong to France for ever.
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Was it a big mistake? The agreement was part of the Treaty of Paris signed in 1763. After the 2nd World War, the population was called to claim the French nationality as a recognition of the role they played during the war.Guadeloupe took the most important decision in its recent history and became a French Overseas Department and Region.
Nowadays the archipielago of Guadeloupe, with about 400.000 inhabitants, stands proudly as part of the EU territory. Its two main islands, united by two bridges, form the perfect shape of a butterfly. A distinction which can differentiate the archipielago from the many islands of the Lesser Antilles.
Chocolatito on November 12th 2007 in Islands
