Area:
total: 1,780 sq km
land: 1,706 sq km
water: 74 sq km
note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands,
including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade,
Iles des Saintes, Saint Barthelemy, and part of Saint Martin
Area—comparative: 10 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 10.2 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km
Coastline: 306 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity
Terrain: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior
mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the
seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,467 m
Natural resources: cultivable land, beaches and climate that
foster tourism
Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 14%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 29% (1993 est.)