Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe


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, and to the south lies Marie Galante.

Name

Despite its name, Grande-Terre is smaller than Basse-Terre Island. It was given the name in contrast with the much smaller Petite Terre Islands, two very small islands located about 10 km south-east of the Grande-Terre.

Geography

Grande-Terre's indented coastline is surrounded by coral reefs and the island itself is a limestone plateau. Its surface is a series of rolling hills, white sand beaches and cliffs. The island's beaches consist of both white and black sands, as well as beaches of golden sand. Of the two islands, Grande-Terre is home to the majority of Guadeloupe's farmlands and tourist resorts.
The island has a land area of 586.68 km2.

Population

At the 2006 census the population of Grande-Terre was 197,603 inhabitants living in 10 communes. The population density was 337 inhabitants per km2. The most populated communes are, in descending order of population, Les Abymes, Le Gosier, Pointe-à-Pitre, Le Moule, Sainte-Anne, and Morne-à-l'Eau.

History

Historically, Grande-Terre Island was called "cibuqueira", and the island of Basse-Terre, "Caloucaera", a word meaning "the island of beautiful waters" in the Caribbean language.