Guadeloupe
As a country located in Caribbean Sea of Central
America defined by
Countryaah.com, the Guadeloupe archipelago was
originally inhabited by carriers - Native American
fighters - who organized themselves into groups of
15-20 families and lived off hunting and fishing. In
addition, the Arawak people, who originally lived in
the northernmost part of South America and later
spread across the Caribbean. The two indigenous
peoples withstood the Spanish invasion in 1493 and
resisted the French, who first defeated them 200
years later.
French settlers built the first sugar mill in
1633 and began the purchase of African slaves. As
early as the late 17th century, the archipelago of
Guadeloupe was one of the most important sugar
producers. By the 18th century, the settlers had
exterminated the last indigenous peoples of the
islands.
When slavery was abolished in 1815, France
changed the status of the islands to become French
colonies. In 1946, the new French constitution gave
the archipelago greater autonomy as an overseas
department.
The subsidies from the French state increased the
income per population and consumption of imported
products when the tariff barriers were removed, but
at the same time the local economy was ruined.
According to
AbbreviationFinder, the largest countries in
Central America are Cuba and Haiti. For largest
cities in Central America by population, please
follow
AllCityPopulation.
Racism frequently creates tensions in a country
where 90% of the population is of African origin or
a mixture. In 1985, there was a violent clash
between supporters of independence and the police. A
number of assaults sent several members of the
Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance (ARC) to jail.
In the 1988 election, François Mitterrand got 70%
of the vote in Guadeloupe, but 2/3 of the people
chose to stay home. At the local elections in
October of that year, the Left strengthened its
majority in the General Council by another seat.
In 1989, those convicted from 1985 were granted
amnesty. That same year, the ARC participated in
elections as a legal political party for the first
time, but suffered a staggering defeat.
The same year, Hurricane Hugo ravaged the entire
Caribbean, leaving 12,000 people in Guadeloupe
homeless. Paris declared that it froze interest on
the country's foreign debt and transferred $ 5.4
million in relief.
When the EU decided in 1992 to reduce quotas for
imports of bananas from the French Antilles in favor
of imports from Africa and Latin America, this
triggered strong protests on Guedeloupe. The
election to the Regional Council - one of
Parliament's two chambers - was won by the
Conservative RPR, the party of President Jacques
Chirac. The RPR got 15 out of the council's 41 seats
followed by the Socialist Party with 9.
Decline in tourism in 1993 led to a significant
decline in economic activity. Unemployment reached
24% and the informal sector of the economy increased
significantly.
The decline in production helped to further
deteriorate the trade balance. In 1995, export
revenue covered only 9.9% of import costs, and this
share fell to 5.2% in 1996. The trend was
particularly strong in banana exports. This sector
was hit by the decline in international demand, EU
decisions and intensified competition from North
American multinational companies that owned
plantations in Central America. Exports in 1996 were
below half of 1993 exports.
At the end of the year, the banana workers went
on a massive strike. Representatives from the trade
union movement accused the plantation owners of
setting up private militias and directing death
threats against the banana workers to make them
abandon the strike. By February 1998, the strike had
spread to other sectors, in a country where 40% of
the economically active population was now
unemployed and where social inequalities were
growing.
In September 1999, there was a violent clash
between police and protesters protesting the arrest
of a union man accused of injuring 2 policemen. As a
result of the riots, another 6 police officers were
wounded and 70 arrested.
In March 2000, French President Jacques Chirac
visited the island to negotiate a trade agreement in
place between the EU and France's colonies in the
Caribbean. The president's visit coincided with a
highlight of the local demands for independence.
In August 2001, Haitian immigrants filed a
complaint against the State Attorney against a
speech on the TV station for inciting hatred and
xenophobia against local Haitians, Dominicans and
others. The accused journalist, Ibo Simon, was also
employed as an adviser to the Guadeloupe government.
In 2002, traders refused to stay closed on May
27, the anniversary of the abolition of slavery. The
island's unions had asked that they stay closed that
day, and forcibly approached the merchant who was
still open. Authorities responded again by arresting
two union leaders in June. It triggered violent
riots in Pointe-a-Pitre and 7 police officers were
injured.
In August 2003, several were injured during an
assault at a fast-food restaurant in Abymes.
Photographer Sylvère Selbonne of France-Antilles
Guadeloupe was subsequently arrested while
taking pictures in the restaurant. During the
arrest, he was overpowered and kicked by police
officers at the scene.
Lack of economic growth and chronic unemployment
- especially among young people - continues to give
considerable support to supporters of independence.
In February 2007, the islands became Barthelemy
and Saint-Martin became an independent territory
under France when, in accordance with a 2003 reform,
they detached from Guadeloupe.
In January 2009, the umbrella organization
Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon (LKP), led by Élie Domota,
initiated a strike for a 200 Euro monthly salary
increase for the island's low-wage earners. The
umbrella organization consisted of 50 unions and
other popular organizations. The strikers
recommended that the government reduce the corporate
tax so that companies could pay the salary increase.
The strike lasted 44 days until on March 5 an
agreement could be reached that gave the lowest paid
a salary increase of the required 200 Euro. The
strike revealed the deep ethnic and racial divisions
that characterize Guadeloupe and Martinique. In
June, French President Sarkozy visited the islands
in an attempt to heal, but at the same time rejected
both autonomy and more extensive self-government in
the islands. The LKP declined to meet with the
president.
In May 2012, Victorin Lurel was appointed
Minister of «Overseas French Affairs» by the French
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. In March 2014, he
lost his mandate at the municipal election in Vieux-Habitants
and the month after being removed from the French
government.
Category 4/5 Hurricane Maria passed in September
2017 directly over Guadeloupe. The hurricane caused
significant damage and cut off electricity supply to
40,000 homes, but it cost few lives compared to the
consequences on other islands. |
