Bouillante
Encyclopedia
Bouillante is a commune
in the French
overseas region and department of Guadeloupe
, in the Lesser Antilles
.
s that were known for their therapeutic virtues.
With the end of the Ancien Régime, the civil authorities and religious leaders renamed the city Bouillante. Saint Louis
, the religious character, is the patron saint of the commune.
Bouillante knew its apogee during the 17th century. It occupied an important place on the island through the policy of the Kingdom of France. The king wanted to make Guadeloupe a colony of settlement based on the family small-scale farming and the introduction of volunteers. The latter, from France, were regarded as the first European inhabitants of the Caribbean. They learned the rudiments of tropical agriculture, different from their area of origin. The Amerindians were marginalized following the integral report/ratio of the two practical ones and they did not follow all the same route. The two enumerations, that of 1664 and that of 1671, reveal the destiny of the different groups.
After 1960, the commune knew major upheavals with the departure of a great number of young people for the cities.
. It lies between the communes of Pointe-Noire
to the north, Vieux-Habitants
to the south, and Petit-Bourg
to the east. To the east, there is a large mountainous chain. Crossing the commune along its north–south axis is the national forest. The high point of this forest is the Piton of Bouillante. The city is 25 km (15.5 mi) north of Basse-Terre
, the administrative capital, and 40 km (24.9 mi) from Pointe-à-Pitre
, the commercial city.
The commune lies on steep volcanic slopes which descend abruptly to the sea. Its fertile volcanic soil allowed the growing of coffee
, which was regarded as one of the best coffee in the world. Cotton
, banana
, and vanilla
also greatly contributed to its economic success for many years.
Today, the economy of the commune is centered on tourism. Agriculture, fishing, the craft industry and geothermics still play a large part in the local economy.
Bouillante profits from its many coves and bays dotting the coast, and beaches such as Anse à la Barque, Petite Anse, Anse à sable and Malendure with its famous coral barrier which lodges the prestigious Réserve Cousteau. The beaches are largely open but are sheltered from the sometimes violent winds.
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...
in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
overseas region and department 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...
, 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...
.
History
Bouillante was founded about 1635 with the arrival of some of Guadeloupe's first colonists. It was originally named Islets à Goyaves ("Islet of Guavas") until the beginning of the 18th century, when the name was changed to Fontaines Bouillantes after the island's hot springHot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s that were known for their therapeutic virtues.
With the end of the Ancien Régime, the civil authorities and religious leaders renamed the city Bouillante. Saint Louis
Louis of Toulouse
Saint Louis of Toulouse was a cadet of the royal French house of Anjou who was made a Catholic bishop. The California mission, city and county of San Luis Obispo, California, are named after him....
, the religious character, is the patron saint of the commune.
Bouillante knew its apogee during the 17th century. It occupied an important place on the island through the policy of the Kingdom of France. The king wanted to make Guadeloupe a colony of settlement based on the family small-scale farming and the introduction of volunteers. The latter, from France, were regarded as the first European inhabitants of the Caribbean. They learned the rudiments of tropical agriculture, different from their area of origin. The Amerindians were marginalized following the integral report/ratio of the two practical ones and they did not follow all the same route. The two enumerations, that of 1664 and that of 1671, reveal the destiny of the different groups.
After 1960, the commune knew major upheavals with the departure of a great number of young people for the cities.
Geography
Bouillante is located in the middle of the leeward coast, on the western coast of Basse-Terre IslandBasse-Terre Island
Basse-Terre Island is the name of the western-half of Guadeloupe proper, in the Lesser Antilles. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe proper, Grande-Terre, by a narrow sea channel called the Rivière Salée ....
. It lies between the communes of Pointe-Noire
Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe
Pointe-Noire is a commune on Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean. It is located on the northwest coast of the island of Basse-Terre.-References:*...
to the north, Vieux-Habitants
Vieux-Habitants
Vieux-Habitants is a commune on Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean. It is located on the southwest coast of the island of Basse-Terre. It is the home of football club JS Vieux-Habitants, who are the reigning champions of the Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur.-References:*...
to the south, and 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....
to the east. To the east, there is a large mountainous chain. Crossing the commune along its north–south axis is the national forest. The high point of this forest is the Piton of Bouillante. The city is 25 km (15.5 mi) north of Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
, the administrative capital, and 40 km (24.9 mi) from 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....
, the commercial city.
The commune lies on steep volcanic slopes which descend abruptly to the sea. Its fertile volcanic soil allowed the growing of coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, which was regarded as one of the best coffee in the world. Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, and vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
also greatly contributed to its economic success for many years.
Today, the economy of the commune is centered on tourism. Agriculture, fishing, the craft industry and geothermics still play a large part in the local economy.
Bouillante profits from its many coves and bays dotting the coast, and beaches such as Anse à la Barque, Petite Anse, Anse à sable and Malendure with its famous coral barrier which lodges the prestigious Réserve Cousteau. The beaches are largely open but are sheltered from the sometimes violent winds.