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Le Moule ( gcf, label=
Antillean Creole Antillean Creole (Antillean French Creole, Kreyol, Kwéyòl, Patois) is a French-based creole that is primarily spoken in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary include elements of Carib, English, and African languages. Antillean Creol ...
, Moul) is the sixth-largest
commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...
in the
French overseas department The overseas departments and regions of France (french: départements et régions d'outre-mer, ; ''DROM'') are departments of France that are outside metropolitan France, the European part of France. They have exactly the same status as mainlan ...
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 the ...
. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre.


History

Beginning 1635 with the arrival of the French and during the 17th century, the village was called Portland. The principal part of the city was located on the actual site of Autre Bord, towards the east. During the 18th century, the city became the stronghold for colonial aristocracy and the center moved to the left bank of river Audoin. This was thanks to the development of
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
and for a better placement of the port on the Atlantic Ocean. A lot of important construction took place to protect and improve the city, one of which was a
breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
("mole" in French) that gave the city its new name, Le Moule, that became Guadeloupe's main commercial port. On September 20, 1828, Le Moule received rights to export its commodities to the metropolitan France without going through Pointe à Pitre. Thus having direct contact with French territory, it became a target for the
British fleet The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
during the Napoleon war at the beginning of the 19th century. The heroic battle of 1809 remains a historic date for Guadeloupe. In practice, all sugar cane, sugar and
rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...
produced in Grande Terre were shipped from Le Moule's port. Consequently, the city enjoyed a flourishing commerce that was further supplemented by shipments of
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...
,
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
,
fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
,
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
, building material and spare parts. During the first half of the 19th century with its numerous refineries and plantations (at first about 30, then about 100), the planters lived a self-sufficient lifestyle farming sugar cane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, spices and other essential food products, thus dominating Guadeloupean economics during the 1850s. After that, they experienced many financial collapses because of failed crops,
abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...
, the production of better sugar in Europe and the very strict "colonial pact". Shared farming has become necessary as well as industrial modernization, and steam machines replaced traditional
windmills A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some par ...
. The sugar crises forced a new decision. In 1901, only four refineries survived: Duchassaing, Zévallos, Marly and Gardel. Le Moule's port lost its place of dominance to Pointe à Pitre, the center of commerce shifted and the city fell into solitude. The devastating
cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
of 1928 was the sounding force and the point of return for the community. The city not only rose from its ruins thanks to Mayor Charles Romana, but it also constructed new buildings: the townhouse, schools, churches, roads and parks. In 2002, Gabrielle Louis-Carabin became the mayor of Le Moule, and is also a member of the general council of Guadeloupe. Le Moule's history, the richest on the island, enabled it to maintain many remains and relics, and to develop centers of interest around them.


Geography

Le Moule is on Grand-Terre Island. The island is a limestone plateau. The city extends along the north shore of the Atlantic coast, northeast of Pointe-a-Pitre. The settlements in the commune of Le Moule include
Boisvin Boisvin is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of 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 ...
,
Conchou Conchou is a settlement in Guadeloupe, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Le Moule; Guillocheau, Laureal, Guenette Guenette is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. ...
, Gardel,
Guenette Guenette is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Guillocheau and Laureal, and to the south of Conchou; Dubedou and Zevallos Zevallos is a settlement in Guadel ...
,
Laureal Laureal is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the south of Lemercier, Le Moule, and Conchou, and to the north of Fonds d'Or, Boisvin Boisvin is a settlement in Guadeloup ...
, Lemercier,
Mahaudiere Mahaudiere is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of 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 ...
,
Palais-Sainte-Marguerite Palais-Sainte-Marguerite is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Sainte-Marguerite and to the west of Lemercier and Le Moule Le Moule ( gcf, label=Antillean Cre ...
,
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
La Rosette La Rosette is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of 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 ...
, Saint-Marguerite and
Zevallos Zevallos is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of 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 ...
.


Climate

Le Moule is on the island of Guadeloupe in Caribbean, near the Equator. The town experiences warm/hot temperatures at day and cool temperatures at night. The temperature range at daytime vary between to between October–May & to , sometimes above between. The heat and humidity are higher from July to October.


Population


Economy

Le Moule was a sugar port in the 17th-18th centuries. Now tourism has boomed and there are some seaside resorts on nearby beaches. There are two distilleries nearby. Agriculture is predominantly spread around Le Moule with fields growing bananas, sugarcane and livestock rearing.


Education

Public preschools include:LISTE DES ECOLES PUBLIQUES ET PRIVEES SOUS CONTRAT
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018.
* Ecole maternelle Debibakas Albert * Ecole maternelle Laura Flessel * Ecole maternelle Château Gaillard * Ecole maternelle Soliveau Laure-Laurent * Ecole maternelle Vitalle Laurette * Ecole maternelle Dupuits Marie-Eva * Ecole maternelle Sainte Marguerite Public primary and elementary schools include: * Ecole primaire Debibakas Albert * Ecole primaire Adélaïde Amédée * Ecole primaire Girard Aristide * Ecole primaire Boisvin * Ecole primaire Cocoyer * Ecole primaire Grands-Fonds * Ecole primaire Lacroix * Ecole élémentaire Jean Galleron Private primary schools include: * Ecole primaire privée Externat Saint Joseph du Moule Public junior high schools include:Établissements du 2nd degré PUBLIC 2017-2018
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018.
* Collège Général de Gaulle * Collège Guénette Public senior high schools include: * LP Louis Delgres Private secondary schools under contract: Etablissements du 2nd degré privé sous contrat 2017-2018
". Retrieved on 10 March 2018.
* Collège Saint-Dominique


Sights

There are an array of sights to see either in or around Le Moule. The Damoiseau Distillery is in Bellevue in the middle of a sugar cane field. Production is limited to white rum, old vintage rum and punches, all of which have received numerous awards for their quality. The Gardel Plant was built under the reconstruction plan for the agriculture sector in 1870, after the historic financial collapse. It is owned by Générale Sucrière, the world leader in the sugar refinery industry. It is the sole refinery on the main island of Guadeloupe and, consequently, a symbol. Its installation in the epicenter of sugar cane plantations affords heavy production from March to July. The Ouatibi-Tibi Archaeological Park is situated in Morel on 7 hectares of beach that run alongside the lagoon. This is a place for taking strolls, for relaxing and meditating. It is intensely rich in culture and is composed of three sites: a memorial center, an archaeological center and a recreation center. The Edgar Clerc Museum is a prehistoric pre-Columbian and Amerindian museum unique to the island. It is located west of the city. It showcases the traditions of the Tainos, Caribs, Arawaks and the Caribbean peoples through its collections of pottery and tools found at the diggings of the archaeological park in Morel.Kay Showker.
Caribbean Ports of Call: A Guide for Today's Cruise Passengers
'. Globe Pequot Press; February 2004. . p. 171.
Alfred Neumann.
The Caribbean: The Lesser Antilles
'. Nelles; 1986. . p. 135.
The town hall was reconstructed after the 1928 cyclone by Ali Tur (son of a high ranking government official). Its massive round forms protect it from the natural elements. In the Moulian countryside are many windmills in sugarcane fields. These were indispensable for grinning the sugar cane before the arrival of steam machines that had larger flat capacity grinners. Dating back to the 18th century, some are still well maintained. The "tour des moulins" (trail of windmills) makes a pleasant route for mountain bike practice. The Church of Saint Jean Baptiste was constructed in the form of a Latin cross, a neoclassic inspiration. Since its reconstruction in 1840, it has resisted numerous cyclones. Its exceptional ventilation system preserves, wholly intact, a woody decor in pastel tones. There are many hotels and restaurants which serve French, Continental, Creole and American dishes. There are also a couple of beaches: L'Autre Bord, a sea-grape shaded beach on the way into Le Moule, and Plage des Baies, about north, which forms a shallow bay ideal for swimmers.


See also

*
Communes of the Guadeloupe department The following is a list of the 32 communes of the Guadeloupe overseas department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moule Communes of Guadeloupe