Transport in Guadeloupe

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As an archipelago, Guadeloupe depends on several systems of public transport. The two islands that make up Guadeloupe proper - Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre - have an extensive road network, while water and air transportation connects to the outer islands as well as international destinations.

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Road transport

Guadeloupe uses right-hand traffic. Of the 2,082 km of roads in the region, the majority (1,742 km) are paved and are well-maintained. As Guadeloupe is a French-administered territory, road signs and directions are written in French. The two main islands of Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre are connected by the N1 and N11 highways. Winding roads are common, and in Basse-Terre, the mountain roads have especially sharp turns. [1]

Karu'lis operates several bus routes across Grande-Terre (including direct services to and around Basse-Terre), and a small route runs on the north-eastern island of La Désirade. [2]

Rail transport

There are no public railways in Guadeloupe. A public railway line between Pointe-à-Pitre and Le Moule (Grande-Terre) was proposed but was later scrapped. [3] Some plantations operate private railways. [4] There exists a tourist railway that is operational (as of 2014) from Beauport, Port Louis to de Poyen. [3] The construction of a tramway was planned with two lines: one between the Abymes and the Memorial in Pointe-à-Pître; the other between Baie-Mahault and Gosier. This project was later abandoned due to High-service buses being preferred over the tramway. [5]

Water transport

The container terminal Port de Jarry, in Pointe-à-Pitre, is Guadeloupe's primary port for cargo and cruise ship passengers. It handles more than 95% of Guadeloupe's trade. [6] Basse-Terre city contains a smaller sea port which also handles passengers.

Ferries connect Guadeloupe proper to the outer islands of La Désirade, Marie-Galante, and Îles des Saintes, as well as other Caribbean ports. [7]

Air transport

Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport is the primary gateway for international travel into and out of Guadeloupe. It offers direct and chartered/seasonal flights to South America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe. [8] It is a hub airport for Air Caraïbes.

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Guadeloupe is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the two inhabited Îles des Saintes—as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings. It is south of Antigua and Barbuda and Montserrat and north of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The region's capital city is Basse-Terre, located on the southern west coast of Basse-Terre Island; however, the most populous city is Les Abymes and the main centre of business is neighbouring Pointe-à-Pitre, both located on Grande-Terre Island. It had a population of 384,239 in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basse-Terre</span> Prefecture and commune in Guadeloupe, France

Basse-Terre is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the prefecture of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located on Basse-Terre Island, the western half of Guadeloupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anse-Bertrand</span> Commune in Guadeloupe, France

Anse-Bertrand is a commune in Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France in the Lesser Antilles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baie-Mahault</span> Commune in Guadeloupe, France

Baie-Mahault is a commune in the overseas department and region of Guadeloupe, France. It is the second most populated commune of Guadeloupe, after Les Abymes. The extensive industrial zone of Jarry in Baie-Mahault is by far the most industrialized commune in the islands and the largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles. It is part of the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest metropolitan area in Guadeloupe, located in the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pointe-à-Pitre</span> Subprefecture, commune, and the center of the largest metropolitan area in Guadeloupe

Pointe-à-Pitre is the second most populous commune of Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe is an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre.

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Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport or Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport is an international airport serving Pointe-à-Pitre on the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe, France.

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Grande-Terre Island is the name of the eastern-half of Guadeloupe proper, in the Lesser Antilles. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe island, Basse-Terre, by a narrow sea channel called Rivière Salée. Pointe de la Grande Vigie, in Grande-Terre, is the northernmost point of Guadeloupe island. To the east lies La Désirade, to the south lies Marie Galante

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Désirade</span> Lighthouse

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Marie-Galante is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of 158.1 km2. It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 the total was officially estimated to be 10,655, with a population density of 62.5/km2 (162/sq mi).

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Guadeloupe is an archipelago of more than 12 islands, as well as islets and rocks situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the Leeward Islands in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, a partly volcanic island arc. To the north lie Antigua and Barbuda and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat, with Dominica lying to the south.

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The 2 arrondissements of the Guadeloupe department are:

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  2. Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre, with 14 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 204,900 in 2016.
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The Guadeloupe Division of Honour(French: Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur) is the top football league in Guadeloupe. It was created in 1952 and is headed by the Guadeloupean League of Football. 14 teams participate in this league. The last 3 placed teams are relegated to the Honorary Promotion Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Basse-Terre</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the Caribbean

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Guadeloupe-related articles</span>

Articles related to the French overseas department of Guadeloupe include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Saintes Passage</span>

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Lucie Julia is the pen name of Huguette Daninthe was a Guadeloupean writer, women's rights activist and social worker. Julia wrote in both Creole and French and was the recipient of the L'Hibiscus d'Or prize of the Institute Jeux Foraux de la Guadeloupe for poetry, as well as the Prix littéraire des Caraïbes for one of her novels. She was the first caseworker in Guadeloupe's Health Department, and for many years was one of the few trained social workers on the island.

References

  1. "Driving in Guadeloupe". Sixt car hire. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  2. "[French] Lines and schedules". karulis.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 "The Railways of Guadeloupe 2014". www.internationalsteam.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  4. "Guadeloupe - People | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  5. "Cap Excellence doit renoncer à son projet de tramway". Guadeloupe la 1ère (in French). Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  6. "[French] Extension of the port of Guadeloupe to support economic development". European Commission. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. "Plan your trip online". Fodor’s Travel. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  8. "[French] Destinations: Guadeloupe Airport". Aéroport de Guadeloupe Pointe-à-Pitre (Caraïbes). Retrieved 23 December 2020.