When did Christopher Columbus first set foot on Guadeloupe?
Christopher Columbus set foot on the island in November 1493. He named it Guadeloupe after a shrine to the Virgin Mary located in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, Extremadura.
Questions about Guadeloupe
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was responsible for establishing French control over Guadeloupe and when did this occur?
French colonists under Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc began taking control of the island in 1626. They formally claimed the territory for France by 1635 after expelling existing Spanish settlers.
What geological features define the landscape of Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe?
The island of Basse-Terre is volcanic and part of the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc. La Grande Soufrière stands as the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles at an elevation of 1,467 meters.
How has pesticide pollution affected waterways in Guadeloupe since 2018?
A ChlEauTerre study unveiled in March 2018 found 37 different anthropogenic molecules in waterways. More than half of these came from residues of now-banned pesticides like chlordecone which appeared in 79% of watersheds analyzed in Grande-Terre and 84% in Basse-Terre.
When did Guadeloupe become an overseas department of France and what major events followed?
Guadeloupe became an overseas department of France in 1946. Tensions rose in the post-war era regarding social structure and relations with mainland France leading to significant unrest including the Massacre of St Valentine in 1952.