History

Discovered in 1493 on november 4th by Christopher Colombus, this island was inhabitted by indians, warlike people coming from Venezuela. These Indians were quickly decimated by the first spanish settlers, as well as the epidemies and alcohol.

Guadeloupe was occupied by the Company of American islands in 1635 on june 28th (first French Island), and then by the Company of West Indies in 1666. The Island came back to the crown in 1674. In 1644, began the culture of sugar-cane, ensuring the prosperity of the island. In 1759, during years of war (1756-1763) Guadeloupe was occupied by the UK, after which is named the Harbour of Pointe à Pitre.

In 1763, the treaty of Paris ended the war and handed Guadeloupe and Martinique back to France. In 1775 the island became autonomous from Martinique and decided to export a lot of his cocoa production. The revolution spread out its ideas and results in a civil war in the islands. With the abolition of slavery proclaimed by the "Convention" of 1794 on february 4th, slaves and freedslavescmailed for political equality - The English people helped royalist landowners and occupied the isle during 2 months before Republicans, with at their head Victor Hugues, Emissary of the Convention, helped by slaves and his 1500 men, took possession of the island and executed many royalists.

In 1802, Napoleon reestablished slavery and continued to fight against England to conquer the islands. In the metropolis in 1842, Lamartine, Barbes & Victor Schoelcher claimed for the emancipation of slaves which led to the abolition with the decrets of March 4th and april 27th in 1848 - 87000 black guadeloupean became French citizens and most of them left the very hard field labour and the production of sugar fell from 33000 down to 12000 tons. From 1853, the settlers, at that time, organized the immigration of free Hindu workers, the "coolies", in order to compensate for the labour crisis, which brought a new ethnic group in the island. In 1912, the population reached 212 inhabitants.

During world war I, 30000 west indians fought with the allies and 20000 of them were killed, injured or imprisonned. The worst cyclone of the century ever known by insulars occured in 1928. Two years later, the Metropolitan customs rules applied to the French West Indies. In 1946, March 16th, the island became a French department.

From 1982 with decentralization, independantist ideas became weaker and weaker.