Vieux-Habitants (

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 ...

for ''Old Inhabitants'') is a commune on

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 ...

, a

overseas department in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. It is located on the southwest coast of the island of

Basse-Terre Basse-Terre (, ; ; gcf, label=Guadeloupean Creole, Bastè, ) is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefecture'' (capital city) of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located ...

History

This is the oldest parish, founded in 1636, when the first French settlers inhabited the west coast near the present site of Vieux Habitants. The name, meaning "Old Settlers" derives from the fact that many employees of the West Indies Company retired here and preferred to be called "inhabitants" to distinguish between themselves and the slaves. It grew gradually as an agricultural area, famous for its coffee, vanilla and Creole gardens.

Geography

Vieux-Habitants is located in the southwest of Basse-Terre island, 87 kilometres southwest of

Pointe à Pitre Pointe technique ( ) is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns ''pointe work'', in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be ''en pointe'' () whe ...

. It is bordered by the commune of

Baillif Baillif is a commune of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles. Baillif is a suburb of Basse-Terre, the prefecture and second-largest urban area of Guadeloupe located on Basse-Terre Island (the ...

to the south and

Bouillante Bouillante () is a ''commune'' in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. History Bouillante was founded about 1635 with the arrival of some of Guadeloupe's first colonists. It was originally named ''Isl ...

to the north. The commune also contains the village of Marigot to the north, between Vieux-Habitants village and Bouilliante. The Grand-Rivières river and forests forms a major part of the local scenery, flowing through the Domaniale forest of

Guadeloupe National Park Guadeloupe National Park (french: Parc national de la Guadeloupe) is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserv ...

into the sea. Natural landmarks include the Plage de Rocroy beach, the Beaugendre Valley of the Grand-Rivières and L'Etang. There are numerous fresh water pools in the commune.

Population

Landmarks

Notable plantations in the commune include the Domaine de Vanibel, Domaine de Grivelière, and the Le Musée du Café. Eglise Franc-Maçonne was built in the 18th century.

Sport

It is the home of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club

JS Vieux-Habitants JS Vieux-Habitants is a Guadeloupean football club based in the town of Vieux-Habitants. They play in Guadeloupe's first division, the Guadeloupe Division of Honor. Achievements * Guadeloupe Championnat National: 2 :: 2006, 2010 External links ...

, who are the reigning champions of the

Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur The Guadeloupe Division of Honour ''(French: Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur)'' is the top football league in Guadeloupe. It was created in 1952 and is headed by the Guadeloupean League of Football. 14 teams participate in this league. The last ...

Education

Public preschools:LISTE DES ECOLES PUBLIQUES ET PRIVEES SOUS CONTRAT
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018. * Ecole maternelle Bourg Vieux-habitants * Ecole maternelle Géry * Ecole maternelle Beaujean-Labique Gratienne * Ecole maternelle Duloir Henriette Public primary schools: * Ecole primaire La Cousinière * Ecole primaire Géry * Ecole primaire Marigot * Ecole primaire Bourg Vieux-Habitants Public junior high schools include:Établissements du 2nd degré PUBLIC 2017-2018
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018. * Collège Suze Angely

Notable people

Victorin Lurel Victorin Lurel ( ; born 20 August 1951 in Vieux-Habitants, Guadeloupe) is a French politician who represented the 4th district of Guadeloupe in the French National Assembly from 2002 to 2012. He also served as the President of the Regional ...

President of the Regional Council The following is a list of current presidents of the regional councils of France and the Corsican Assembly. List Since 2011, the Departmental Council of Mayotte has simultaneously exercised the competencies of a regional council. Since 2015, t ...

of Guadeloupe