Location: Caribbean, islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 16 15 N, 61 35 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 1,780 sq km note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin) water: 74 sq km land: 1,706 sq km

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