Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/969

 GUADELOUPE AND DEPENDENCIES — GUIANA 847

AMERICA.

GUADELOUPE AND DEPENDENCIES.

Guadeloupe, situated ill the Lesser Antilles, consists of two islands separated by a narrow channel, that on the west being called Guadeloupe proper or Basse-Terre, and that to the east, Grande-TeiTe,with a united area of 150,940 hectares (583 sq. m.); it has five dependencies consisting of the smaller islands, Marie Galante, LesSaintes, Desirade, St. Barthelemy, and St. Martin, the total area being 688 square miles. It is under a governor and an elected council, and is represented by a senator and two deputies. Population (1911) 212,430, of whom 3,461 were born in France and 12,306 were foreigners. Instruction (1911) is given in 1 lycee with 396 pupils, a secondary course for girls at Pointe-a-Pitre, with 294 pupils, and 105 public and private elementary schools. The public elementary schools have 260 teachers and 12,290 pupils, and the private have 770. The colony is divided into arrondisse- ments, cantons, and communes. The seat of government is Basse-Terre (8,656) inhabitants. Pointe-a-Pitre (22,664 inhabitants) has a fine harbour. Revenue and expenditure balanced at 4,622,551 francs in the local budget of 1911 ; expenditure of France (budget of 1913), 331,673 francs. Out- standing debt, January 1, 1910, 250,000 francs. Chief cultures : sugar, 41,329 tons exported in 1911 ; coff"ee, 2,114,600 pounds exported in 1911 ; cacao, 2,337,610 pounds exported. For local consumption there are grown bananas, sweet potatoes, manioc, tobacco, Indian corn, and vegetables. The area of the colony is 489,660 acres, divided as follows, in acres : — Sugar cane, 64,220 ; coffee, 12,350 ; cacao, 9,880 ; products for local use, 41,165 ; forests, 78,000 ; arable land not cultivated, 113,425 ; and waste land, 113,620. The forests, covering 71,256 hectares of mountainous district, are interspersed with valuable timber, which is little worked. The total value of the imports in 1911 was 748,194Z. and of the exports was 781, 476^. In 1911, 307 vessels of 338,234 tons cleared the ports of the colony. Guadeloupe is in direct communication with France by means of two steam navigation companies. Within the islands traffic is carried on by means of roads. The Bank of Guadeloupe, with a capital of 3,000,000 francs, and reserve funds amounting to 843,746 francs, advances loans chiefly for agricultural purposes, even on the security of jewellery. Silver coin has disappeared from circulation ; nickel treasury tokens (bons) of 1 franc and of 50 centimes are authorised up to a total emission of 1,000,000 francs.

British Vice-Consul at Guadeloupe. — J. E. de Vaux

GUIANA.

The colony of French Guiana is administered by a Governor, assisted by a Privy Council of 5 members. The colony has a Council-C^eneral of 16 members and is represented in the French Parliament by one deputy. Area about 30,500 square miles, and population, 1911, 49,009. Cayenne, the chief town and only seaport, has a population of 13,527, and the other 14 com- munes have 12,798. At Cayenne there are a court of first instance, a court of appeal, and justices of the peace, with jurisdiction in other localities. A decree of November 12, 1905, established a justice of the peace at Sinamary and one at Mana. The military force consists of 153 European ofiicers and men. In the colony there are 28 primary schools, with about 2,600 puj^ils, and there is a college at Cayenne, which has also a local museum and a library. Local budget for 1912 balanced at 3,592,099 francs.