Basse-Terre Island
Encyclopedia
- For the largest city on the island of Basse-Terre and capital of Guadeloupe, see Basse-TerreBasse-TerreBasse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
. For the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis see BasseterreBasseterreBasseterre , estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands...
.
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
proper, in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe proper, Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre is an island in the Guadeloupe, separated by Basse-Terre Island by a salt river. Grande-Terre's northernmost point, Pointe de la Grande Vigie, is also the northernmost point in Guadeloupe....
, by a narrow sea channel called the Rivière Salée (in English Salt River).
Basse-Terre Island has a land area of 847.82 km² (327.35 sq. miles). At the 2006 census
INSEE
INSEE is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the French economy and society, carrying out the periodic national census. Located in Paris, it is the French branch of Eurostat, European Statistical System...
the population of Basse-Terre Island was 186,661 inhabitants living in 16 communes
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
(municipalities). The population density was 220 inhabitants per km² (570 inh. per sq. miles). The largest city on Basse-Terre Island is the city of Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
which had 37,455 inhabitants in its urban area at the 2006 census. The city of Basse-Terre is the prefecture (capital) of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
.
Name
Despite its name, Basse-Terre Island (literally "Low Land" Island, "Down Land" Island) is the highest island of Guadeloupe, rising to 1,467 m (4,813 ft) above sea-level at the SoufrièreLa Grande Soufrière
La Grande Soufrière, , is an active stratovolcano located on the French island of Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. It is the tallest mountain in the Lesser Antilles, and rises 1,467 m high....
volcano. The name of the island in fact is the result of French terminology used in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in the 17th century. In the Caribbean, the prevailing winds blow from the northeast (see trade wind
Trade wind
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
), thus the western side of the Caribbean islands, the leeward side (in French: côte sous le vent), protected from the trade winds, was called the Basse-Terre ("Down Land") in 17th century French because it is situated downwind compared to the eastern side of the Caribbean islands, the windward side (in French: côte au vent), which is exposed to the trade winds and was called the Cabesterre.
This distinction between a Basse-Terre (western side of an island) and a Cabesterre (eastern side of an island) was used in several Caribbean islands colonized by France. The capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis , located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population....
, for example, was named Basseterre
Basseterre
Basseterre , estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands...
because it is located on the western side of the island of Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts (also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island (Saint-Christophe in French) is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean...
. Basse-Terre Island was originally called "Guadeloupe" (a name which did not originally include the sister island of Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre is an island in the Guadeloupe, separated by Basse-Terre Island by a salt river. Grande-Terre's northernmost point, Pointe de la Grande Vigie, is also the northernmost point in Guadeloupe....
) and as in other French Caribbean islands its western side was called Basse-Terre while its eastern side was called Cabesterre. The capital and main settlement of Guadeloupe was established on the Basse-Terre side of the island in the 17th century and was simply called the city of Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
(in the same way as what happened in Saint Kitts). Later in the 18th century, the entire island (and not just its western side) came to be known as Basse-Terre Island, probably under the influence of its largest settlement the city of Basse-Terre, and the name Guadeloupe was then used for the combined islands of Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre.
Geography
La Grande SoufrièreLa Grande Soufrière
La Grande Soufrière, , is an active stratovolcano located on the French island of Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. It is the tallest mountain in the Lesser Antilles, and rises 1,467 m high....
, the tallest mountain in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
, is located on the island. It rises to 1,467 m (4,813 ft) high. It is an active volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. The surrounding area of Basse-Terre has a rough volcanic relief fertile land. The surrounding areas of Basse-Terre consists of forest, grassland and sugar, coffee, banana and cocoa plantations. The island has a land area of 847.82 km² (327.35 sq mi).
The eastern coast of Basse-Terre Island, known as the Windward Coast (in French: Côte-au-vent), is exposed to the trade winds and receives a lot of rain, whereas the western coast of the island, known as the Leeward Coast (in French Côte-sous-le-vent) is protected from the winds by the Soufrière volcano and is thus much drier.
Towns
The most populated communesCommunes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
(municipalities) on the island are, in descending order of population, Baie-Mahault
Baie-Mahault
Baie-Mahault is the second most populated commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe after Abymes The extensive Zoning Industriel of Jarry, in Baie-Mahault is far the most industrialized communes in the islands and the largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles.It is...
(western part of Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
urban area), Petit-Bourg
Petit-Bourg
Petit-Bourg is the seventh-largest commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located on the east side of the island of Basse-Terre, and is part of the metropolitan area of Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest metropolitan area in Guadeloupe....
, Capesterre-Belle-Eau
Capesterre-Belle-Eau
Capesterre-Belle-Eau is a commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located in the south-east of Basse-Terre Island. Capesterre-Belle-Eau covers an area of 103.3 km² and the population as of 1999 is 19,568. The population density is 189...
, Sainte-Rose
Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe
Sainte-Rose is a commune in the department of Guadeloupe. It is the second largest commune of Guadeloupe, in terms of area, after Petit-Bourg. Sainte-Rose lies on the coast of the island of Basse-Terre.-References:*...
, Lamentin
Lamentin
See Le Lamentin for the commune of MartiniqueLamentin is a French commune in the overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is part of the agglomeration of Pointe-à-Pitre, in the north part of Basse-Terre...
, Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
, and Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe
Saint-Claude is a French commune in the overseas department of Guadeloupe. It lies in the interior of southern Basse-Terre island, just northeast of the capital city of Basse-Terre.-References:*...
(part of Basse-Terre urban area).
Sights
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
on a mountain road, is the village of Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe
Saint-Claude is a French commune in the overseas department of Guadeloupe. It lies in the interior of southern Basse-Terre island, just northeast of the capital city of Basse-Terre.-References:*...
, at the base of the Soufrière
La Grande Soufrière
La Grande Soufrière, , is an active stratovolcano located on the French island of Basse-Terre, in Guadeloupe. It is the tallest mountain in the Lesser Antilles, and rises 1,467 m high....
volcano. The village is noted for its coffee and banana plantations & stately homes. Tours to ascend the Soufrière can be arranged. The starting point is at Saint-Claude. The volcano is currently dormant.
About 3 miles east, is the village of Gourbeyre
Gourbeyre
Gourbeyre is a commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is a suburb of the city of Basse-Terre.The commune of Gourbeyre was in the past a pivotal point in the defense of Guadeloupe's Basse-Terre Island....
where Fort Louis Delgres was built in 1650 by Charles Houel. This fort guarded the approach to the city of Basse-Terre. The fort served in several battles against the British.
About 8 miles south-south-east is the village of Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe
Trois-Rivières is a commune in the overseas department of Guadeloupe, and the chef-lieu of the Canton of Trois-Rivières. It is on the south coast of the island of Basse-Terre.-External links:* ....
, a fishing community rich in ancient settlements of the peaceful Arawaks. Near the village is an archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
park which features sculpted and engraved rocks and relics left by the Arawaks in a grotto deep in the forest.
A few beaches are located along the coast, north and south of the city of Basse-Terre. There are also fishing areas.