Basse-terre

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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.

Coordinates: 15°59′45″N 61°43′45″W / 15.9958°N 61.7292°W / 15.9958; -61.7292

Commune of Basse-Terre
Location
Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe
Administration
Country	France
Region	Guadeloupe (préfecture)
Department	Guadeloupe
Arrondissement	Basse-Terre
Canton	Basse-Terre (1st, and 2nd)
Intercommunality	Sud Basse-Terre
Mayor	Guy Georges
Statistics
Land area1	5.78 km2 (2.23 sq mi)
Population2	12,410  (1999 census)
- Density	2,147 /km2 (5,560 /sq mi)
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: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Basse-Terre is the capital city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles.^[1] 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

Clock tower in the marketplace

In town is the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-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 and 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 Rivière-aux-Herbes. This is a reserve of the plants and animals of Guadeloupe.

Climate

References

1. ^ INSEE
2. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Basse-Terre". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=79887&refer=&units=metric. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Basse-Terre

v • d • e Communes of the Guadeloupe department Les Abymes · Anse-Bertrand · Baie-Mahault · Baillif · Basse-Terre · Bouillante · Capesterre-Belle-Eau · Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante · Deshaies · La Désirade · Le Gosier · Gourbeyre · Goyave · Grand-Bourg · Lamentin · Morne-à-l'Eau · Le Moule · Petit-Bourg · Petit-Canal · Pointe-à-Pitre · Pointe-Noire · Port-Louis · Saint-Claude · Sainte-Anne · Sainte-Rose · Saint-François · Saint-Louis · Terre-de-Bas · Terre-de-Haut · Trois-Rivières · Vieux-Fort · Vieux-Habitants

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