Guadalupe West Indies

Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator who wanted to reach the Indies through the sea. The Spanish Queen Isabella of Castile gave him three caravels to help him reach his aim. The Santa María conducted by Columbus and the Niña and the Pinta respectively by the Pinzon brothers.

Columbus did not reach the Indies in his first voyage, but opened a new world for the European. In his second voyage in late 1493, they had problems because of the lack of potable water on board for the whole crew. Columbus had decided to abandon and was about to give the order to return to Spain to prevent a mutiny, when he had a look at the horizon and catched sight of a land. He then decided to get closer and a few white lines in the mountain attracted his attention, as they were probably waterfalls. He finally tied up in that area of the island. It was definitely the Carbet waterfalls. Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe after the Virgin of Guadalupe in Caceres, Spain.

Centuries later, they would call a village where they landed “Sainte-Marie” in remembrance of the original name of the island. Nowadays, a monument for the one who discovered the island to the Occidental World can be seen nearby. The village belongs to the city of Capesterre Belle Eau, which name means “cape at the East of the land with beautiful water”. Its waterfalls keep attracting many visitors all year round, and it’s worth it! The biggest one is easily accessible for the general public and the smallest ones are suitable for people who are fond of mountaineering.

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.

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.