Basse-terre

This article is about the city of Basse-Terre. For the island on which the city is located, see Basse-Terre Island. Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, should not be confused with Basseterre the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Commune of Basse-Terre
Location
Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe
Administration
Country	France
Region	Guadeloupe (préfecture)
Department	Guadeloupe
Arrondissement	Basse-Terre
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Sud Basse-Terre
Mayor	Guy Georges
Statistics
Land area¹	5.78 km²
Population² (1999 census)	12,410
- Density	2,147/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	97105/ 97100
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Basse-Terre is the capital city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles. The city of Basse-Terre is located on Basse-Terre Island, the western-half of Guadeloupe.

Although it is the administrative capital of Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre is only the second-largest city in Guadeloupe behind Pointe-à-Pitre, with 44,864 inhabitants in its urban area in 1999 (12,400 of whom lived in the city of Basse-Terre proper).

Name

See Basse-Terre Island for the origin of the name Basse-Terre.

History

The city was founded in 1643, in the mountainous section of Basse-Terre, one of the two islands which compose Guadeloupe. It was destroyed many times as a consequence of the Anglo-French wars. Today the town is quiet with its French provincial atmosphere and colourful port life.

Sights

In town is the Cathedral of St.Peter and St.Paul, a 19th century building which has a notable grey stone highlighted by white statues; many other colonial buildings; La place du Champ d`Arbaud, the main square & Le Jardin Pichon, the park adjoining to the south & the Zoological and Botanical Park lies on a 1,500-foot (460 m) hilltop garden on the banks of La Riviere aux Herbes. This is a reserve of the plants and animals of Guadeloupe.

External links

• Basse-Terre is at coordinates 16°14′53″N 61°32′35″W / 16.248, -61.543 (Basse-Terre)Coordinates: 16°14′53″N 61°32′35″W / 16.248, -61.543 (Basse-Terre)

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Overseas departments
Cayenne (French Guiana) • Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) • Fort-de-France (Martinique) • Saint-Denis (Réunion)

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