Pointe-à-Pitre (; gcf, label= Guadeloupean Creole, Pwentapit, , or simply , ) is the second most populous commune 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 ...

(after

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 Guadel ...

). Guadeloupe is an

overseas region 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 ...

and

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a '' sous-préfecture'', being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre. Although Pointe-à-Pitre is not Guadeloupe's administrative capital (that distinction goes to Basse-Terre), it is nonetheless the region's economic capital. The inhabitants are called "Pointois". In 2018, it had a population of 15,410 in the city ( commune) of Pointe-à-Pitre proper and 250,952 inhabitants in the urban unit Pointe-à-Pitre–Les Abymes.Comparateur de territoire
INSEE It is part of the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

of Les Abymes. Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport, Guadeloupe's main international airport, is located north of downtown Pointe-à-Pitre in the commune of

. The current mayor of Pointe-à-Pitre is

Harry Durimel Harry Durimel is a spokesperson of Europe Écologie–The Greens and a founding member of The Greens on Guadeloupe. A lawyer, Durimel obtained a Masters in Labor Law from University Paris I-Pantheon-Sorbonne. In 2009, he was selected to lead the E ...

Geography

Pointe-à-Pitre is situated on the southwest portion of the island of

Grande-Terre 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 proper, in the Lesser Antilles. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe ...

, facing the Caribbean Sea; it lies in the centre of Guadeloupe, and is near the Rivière Salée ("Salt River"), which separates Grande-Terre from Basse-Terre Island. The town of Pointe-à-Pitre is surrounded by the communes of

, Baie-Mahault and

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 conurba ...

. Pointe-à-Pitre is on a limestone plateau, which was a factor for the construction of the city. The bay, Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin, offers a sheltered port.

Name

The name Pointe-à-Pitre, literally the "

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

of Pitre", is popularly believed to derive from a Dutch sailor/fisherman called "Pieter", who may have settled in the 17th century on a promontory facing the ''Îlet à Cochon'' ("Hogs Islet"), just to the south of today's downtown Pointe-à-Pitre. The promontory came to be called "Pointe-à-Pieter" (the "headland of Peter") and later "Pointe-à-Pitre". However, this theory is now questioned by linguists, with a derivation from the Spanish word "pitera", meaning a type of rope made from agave, suggested as the true etymon of "pitre".

History

Ancien hôtel de ville de Pointe-à-Pitre 01

French colonial authorities had long thought about establishing a city on the current location of Pointe-à-Pitre, at the junction of Guadeloupe's two main 'island' districts ( Basse-Terre Island and

Grande Terre Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places *Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany *Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas *Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) *Arroio ...

), but several attempts around 1713-1730 failed due to the insalubrious swampy ground. Plan de Pointe-à-Pitre en 1843

During the British occupation of Guadeloupe (1759–1763) a settlement appeared on a hill overlooking the swamps. After the return of Guadeloupe to France in 1763, the city of Pointe-à-Pitre was officially founded under governor Gabriel de Clieu in 1764 by royal edict, and the swamps where downtown Pointe-à-Pitre stands today were drained in the following years, thus allowing the urban development of the city. The development of the city was relatively rapid, partly thanks to the corsairs. In 1780, however, a great fire entirely destroyed the city. Sixty-three years later, in 1843, it was again destroyed by an earthquake. The history of Pointe-à-Pitre is marked by many disasters: the fires of 1850, 1871 and 1931, the earthquakes of 1851 and 1897 and the hurricanes of 1865 and 1928. The city also experienced several epidemics of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

. Its location and large sheltered port have nonetheless allowed Pointe-à-Pitre to become Guadeloupe's largest city and economic capital. :Further information: '' Travailleur socialiste''

Population

Religion

Eglise Saint Pierre et Saint Paul - PA00105864 04

The former cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, testifies that Pointe-à-Pitre has been the episcopal seat of a

Roman Catholic Diocese of Pointe-à-Pitre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Basse-Terre and Pointe-à-Pitre ( la, Dioecesis Imae Telluris et Petrirostrensis; ), more simply known as the Diocese of Basse-Terre, is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. T ...

. This was united with the present diocese for all Guadeloupe, at Basse-Terre, in 1951, since when its full title has been

Roman Catholic Diocese of Basse-Terre-Pointe-à-Pitre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Basse-Terre and Pointe-à-Pitre ( la, Dioecesis Imae Telluris et Petrirostrensis; ), more simply known as the Diocese of Basse-Terre, is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. T ...

Climate

On the Köppen climate classification, Pointe-à-Pitre is on the border between tropical monsoon climate (''Am'') and tropical rainforest climate (''Af''). Like any other Eastern Caribbean city, it experiences rainfall quite evenly spread during the year, with a wetter season between July and November which coincides with the hurricane season. The city receives 1500–2000 mm of rainfall annually. Tropical heat is the norm, bringing steady highs of around 32 °C (89 °F) that drop to 20 °C (68 °F) at night. The trade winds blow from the northeast and often temper the climate.

Urban area and demographics

The tiny commune (municipality) of Pointe-à-Pitre is the center of a larger urban area covering 11 communes.Unité urbaine 2020 de Pointe-à-Pitre - Les Abymes (9A701)
INSEE This urban area – with 250,952 inhabitants at the 2018 census, representing 65% of the population – is the largest in Guadeloupe and one of the largest among French Overseas territories and departments.

Communes

The eleven communes making up the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre, with their populations in 2017,Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017
INSEE are: *

: 53,491 (Les Abymes being the most populated commune in the urban area and indeed in Guadeloupe, the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre is also often called the "Pointe-à-Pitre-Les Abymes" urban area) * Baie-Mahault: 30,929 (the location of the urban area's main seaport and largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles) *

: 26,783 * Petit-Bourg: 24,277 * Sainte-Anne: 23,675 * Le Moule: 22,150 * Morne-à-l-Eau: 17,434 *

Lamentin Lamentin ( Guadeloupean Creole: ) is a commune in the French overseas department and region of Guadeloupe. It is part of the agglomeration of Pointe-à-Pitre, in the north part of Basse-Terre. Three islets are included in the commune: Christoph ...

: 16,573 * Pointe-à-Pitre: 15,923 (the historic, commercial and administrative heart of the urban area; facing competition from its suburbs, the congested commune of Pointe-à-Pitre has been losing businesses and inhabitants in the past years) * Saint-François: 12,816 * Petit-Canal: 8,220

Economy

The city is the commercial capital of Guadeloupe, serving as the main port of call for cargo and passengers alike. The main seaport is the Port de Jarry located across the Bay of Cul-de-Sac Marin in the commune (municipality) of Baie-Mahault. It has one of the biggest container terminals in the Eastern Caribbean with a quay 600m long. The main exports are food crops (bananas, cocoa, coffee and sugar), animal products (beef, milk, yogurt) and manufactured goods (refined petroleum, textiles and medicines). The extensive Zone Industrielle de Jarry, directly west of Pointe-à-Pitre is a major centre of commercial and light industrial activity, notably for warehousing and distribution. Agricultural production continues in the east of the area where cattle rearing, banana and sugarcane growing continues. The nearby suburb of

is Guadeloupe's main seaside resort. Seventy percent of residents of Pointe-à-Pitre resided in subsidized public housing in 2009.

Notable people

* Gilles Bloch - physician-scientist, former president of Inserm * Maryse Condé - writer * Saint-John Perse * Francky Vincent *

Rodrigue Beaubois Rodrigue Gabriel "Roddy" Beaubois (; born 24 February 1988) is a French professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Early life Beaubois was discovered by NBA player Mickaël Piétrus ...

- NBA

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

player * Roch-Ambroise Auguste Bébian * Charles Lanrezac, WW1 General, Commander of the 5th French Army, Grand Cross of the Légion d'Honneur * Jean-Marc Mormeck, boxer *

Auguste Plée Auguste Plée, born 1787 in Paris and died 17 August 1825 in Fort Royal, Martinique, was a French naturalist. Biography Between 1821 and 1823 he was sketching military installations, ports and towns in Puerto Rico. (in Spanish). After travelling ...

* Firmine Richard * Jacques Schwarz-Bart *

Louis-Gaston de Sonis Louis-Gaston de Sonis (25 August 1825 – 15 August 1887) was a French Army officer who particularly distinguished himself in the Battle of Loigny during the Franco-Prussian War, where he lost a leg. Life Louis Gaston was born on 25 August 1825 i ...

- French Army officer *

Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...

- former

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

and FC Barcelona association football player. Won 142 caps for France and the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...

. * Stéphane Zubar -

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...

player * Laura Flessel-Colovic - 5-time Olympic medalist in épée fencing * Patricia Girard - 1996 Olympic Games silver medallist in 100m hurdles * Thierry Henry * Clotilde Armand - Romanian politician *

Babette de Rozières Élisabeth Hildebert de Rozières, known as Babette de Rozières (born 27 May 1947) is a famous French chef, television presenter and politician. Early life She was born in Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. Political career She was elected t ...

, TV chef and politician * Angela Aquereburu, screenwriter, film producer and film director

Education

Public preschools in Pointe-à-Pitre commune include:LISTE DES ECOLES PUBLIQUES ET PRIVEES SOUS CONTRAT
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018. * Ecole maternelle Raymonde Bambuck * Ecole maternelle Bébian * Ecole maternelle Salvator Cidemé * Ecole maternelle Dubouchage * Ecole maternelle Bonchamps Fernande * Ecole maternelle Rallion Frantz * Ecole maternelle Raphael Jolivière 2 * Ecole maternelle Lauricisque Public primary schools in Pointe-à-Pitre commune include: * Ecole primaire Raymonde Bambuck * Ecole primaire Salvator Cidemé * Ecole primaire Raphael Cipolin * Ecole primaire Léon Feix * Ecole primaire Amédée Fengarol 1 * Ecole primaire Amédée Fengarol 2 * Ecole primaire Bonchamps Fernande * Ecole primaire Lauricisque Elementary schools include: * Ecole élémentaire Raphael Jolivière 1 Public junior high schools in Pointe-à-Pitre commune include:Établissements du 2nd degré PUBLIC 2017-2018
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018. * Collège Jules Michelet * Collège Sadi Carnot * Collège Nestor De Kermadec * Collège Front de mer Public senior high schools in Pointe-à-Pitre commune include: *

LPO Carnot LPO may refer to: *Lipid peroxidation *LPO-50, a flamethrower built by the Soviet Union *Law practice optimization *Landing Page Optimization * Leading Petty Officer *Legal Process Outsourcing *Lexicographic path ordering, a well-ordering in term re ...

(including the Micro Lycée) Private preschools and primary schools in Pointe-à-Pitre commune include: * Ecole maternelle privée Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur * Ecole primaire privée Saint Joseph de Clun Private secondary schools under contract in Pointe-à-Pitre commune:Etablissements du 2nd degré privé sous contrat 2017-2018
". Retrieved on 10 March 2018. *

LP Boc Calmet LP or lp may stand for: Businesses and organizations *LP, Limited partnership in corporate law or a Limited Partner in a venture capital fund In politics *Labour Party (disambiguation), in several countries * Liberal Party, in several countries ...

* Collège/LGT Massabielle

Monuments

* Place de la Victoire * La rue Frébault, marché aux Épices (classé MH.) * The musée Saint-John-Perse (classé MH.) * The musée Schœlcher (classé MH.) * The

Pavillon L'Herminier Pavillon may refer to: * Le Pavillon Hotel, New Orleans * Le Pavillon (New York City restaurant), a former New York City restaurant * Pavillon de Flore, a section of the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France * Pavillon de Paris, a large concert space ...

(classé MH.) * The

Mémorial ACTe ''Mémorial'' is the official gazette of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is published by the Central Legislation Service (french: Service central de législation), an agency of the government of Luxembourg. Until the Second World War, ''Mémor ...

Le Mémorial ACTe de Guadeloupe présenté à Paris
* The église Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul (classée MH). * The church of Massabielle. * Various elements of the civil and religious heritage of the municipality were built by the architect Ali Tur between 1930 and 1935 in a major works initiative by various institutions after the

1928 Okeechobee hurricane The Okeechobee hurricane of 1928, also known as the San Felipe Segundo hurricane, was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the recorded history of the North Atlantic basin, and the fourth deadliest hurricane in the United States, only behind the ...

. He realized the

palais de justice de Pointe-à-Pitre Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées ** Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River i ...

, the hospice hospital on the island, the fish hall, several schools, and the fire station.. * The statues of La Mulâtresse Solitude, Colonel

Louis Delgrès Louis Delgrès (2 August 1766 – 28 May 1802) was a leader of the movement in Guadeloupe resisting reoccupation and thus the reinstitution of slavery by Napoleonic France in 1802. Biography Delgrès was mulatto, born free in Saint-Pierre, M ...

, Colonel

Joseph Ignace Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, percussionist (popularly known as "Vélo") and the painting of Marché central de Pointe-à-Pitre.JPG, Le marché aux Épices. Musée Saint-John Perse 001.JPG, Musée Saint-John-Perse. Musée Schoelcher de Pointe-à-Pitre.JPG, Musée Schœlcher. Externat Saint-Joseph-de-Cluny - Vue générale.JPG, Immeuble rue Saint-John Perse.JPG, Guadeloupe Les Abymes carrefour de Lacroix, sur le boulevard des Héros 2.jpg, La Mulâtresse Solitude, in

. Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Pointe-à-Pitre.JPG, Église Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul. Grotte de Massabielle Pointe-à-Pitre.JPG, La grotte de Massabielle. Office du Tourisme de Pointe-à-Pitre.JPG,

Tourism office of Pointe-à-Pitre Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

École maternelle Bébian, Pointe-à-Pitre.JPG,

school of Pointe-à-Pitre A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

References

External links

* (in French)
GigaCatholic- the former bishopric
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pointeapitre Communes of Guadeloupe Subprefectures in France Port cities in the Caribbean