Grande-Terre Island (french: île de Grande-Terre / île de la Grande-Terre; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwantè) is the name of the eastern-half of

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and ...

proper, in the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc be ...

. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe island, Basse-Terre, by a narrow sea channel called ''Rivière Salée'' (in English Salt River).

Pointe de la Grande Vigie The Pointe de la Grande Vigie is the northernmost point of the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe and, as such, is also the northernmost point of Guadeloupe as a whole. Located about northeast of Anse-Bertrand (the commune it is administrat ...

, in Grande-Terre, is the northernmost point of Guadeloupe island. To the east lies La Désirade, to the south lies Marie Galante Despite its name, Grande-Terre (literally "Large Land" in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

) is smaller than Basse-Terre Island. It was called like that, in contrast with the much smaller

Petite Terre Islands :''Petite Terre is also the name of Pamanzi island, Mayotte.'' Petite Terre Islands (french: Îles de la Petite Terre, literally "Islands of the Small Land") are two small uninhabited islands located about to the south-east of the island o ...

("Small Land" Islands), two very small islands located about 10 km south-east of the Grande-Terre (see map to the left). Grande-Terre's indented coastline is surrounded by

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

s and the island itself is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

plateau. Its surface is a series of rolling hills, white sand beaches and cliffs. The island's beaches consist of both white and black sands, as well as beaches of golden sand. Of the two islands, Grande-Terre is home to the majority of Guadeloupe's farmlands and tourist resorts. grande terre

The island has a land area of 586.68 km². At the 2006 census the population of Grande-Terre was 197,603 inhabitants living in 10 communes (municipalities). The population density was 337 inhabitants per km² (872 inh. per sq. miles). The most populated communes are, in descending order of population,

Les Abymes Les Abymes () is the most populous commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located on the west side of the island of Grande-Terre, and is part of the largest metropolitan area of Guade ...

(part of the

Pointe-à-Pitre Pointe-à-Pitre (; gcf, label=Guadeloupean Creole, Pwentapit, , or simply , ) is the second largest (most populous) city of Guadeloupe after Les Abymes. Guadeloupe is an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, o ...

urban area),

Le Gosier Le Gosier is a commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located on the south side of the island of Grande-Terre and part of the urban unit of Pointe-à-Pitre- Les Abymes, the largest co ...

(part of the Pointe-à-Pitre urban area),

Le Moule Le Moule ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Moul) is the sixth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre. History Beginning 1635 with the arrival of the Frenc ...

, Sainte-Anne, and Morne-à-l'Eau. Pointe de la Grande Vigie - Guadeloupe

History

Historically, Grande-Terre Island was called "cibuqueira", ("Gum tree island", in the Caribbean language) and the island of Basse-Terre, "Caloucaera" (Karukera), a word meaning "the island of beautiful waters" in the Caribbean language.

References

{{Reflist Islands of Guadeloupe