With a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi) and a population of 405,739 inhabitants
Besides Guadeloupe's two islands of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, the smaller islands of Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des Saintes are included in Guadeloupe.
Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Guadeloupéen).
Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe in 1493 after the Virgin Mary, venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, in Extremadura.
Besides Guadeloupe's two islands of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, the smaller islands of Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des Saintes are included in Guadeloupe.
Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Guadeloupéen).
Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe in 1493 after the Virgin Mary, venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, in Extremadura.