*Guadeloupe is celebrated on this date in 1493. This archipelago and overseas island group was part of the Middle Passage. It was a region of colonial France in the Caribbean.
It consists of six inhabited islands, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, and La Désirade, and the two inhabited Îles des Saintes—as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings. Navigator and slave trader Christopher Columbus was the first white European to see Guadeloupe, where he landed in 1493 and gave the island its name.
It is south of Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, and north of Dominica. The Caribbean region's capital city is Basse-Terre, located on the southwest coast of Basse-Terre Island; however, the most populous city is Les Abymes, and the main business center is neighboring Pointe-à-Pitre, both located on Grande-Terre Island.
Like the other overseas locations, it is an integral part of France. As a constituent territory of the European Union and the Eurozone, the euro is its official currency, and any European Union citizen is free to settle and work there indefinitely. As an overseas department, however, it is not part of the Schengen Area. The region formerly included Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin, which were detached from Guadeloupe in 2007 following a 2003 referendum. The official language is French; Antillean Creole is also spoken.
