Grande-Terre

Grande Terre

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Grande-Terre

Grande Terre is also the name of the main island of New Caledonia

New Caledonia

New Caledonia , is a "sui generis collectivity" of France located in the subregion of Melanesia in the Oceania. It comprises a main island , the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands....
, and the name of the largest of the Kerguelen Islands

Kerguelen Islands

The Kerguelen Islands , also known as Desolation Island, is a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a territory of France. They are Antipodes to an area between where Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana meet in North America....
.

The main part of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an island group or archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at , with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres . It is an overseas department of France....
consists of two island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
s separated by a salt river and whose combined shape resembles a butterfly. The western island is Basse-Terre Island

Basse-Terre Island

Basse-Terre Island is the name of the western-half of Guadeloupe proper, in the Lesser Antilles. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe proper, Grande-Terre, by a a narrow sea channel called the Rivi?re Sal?e ....
and the eastern island is Grande-Terre.

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Encyclopedia

Grande Terre is also the name of the main island of New Caledonia

New Caledonia

Kerguelen Islands

The main part of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe

Island

Basse-Terre Island

Pointe de la Grande Vigie

Pointe de la Grande Vigie is the northernmost polint of the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe, and as such is also the northernmost point of Guadeloupe as a whole....
, is also the northernmost point in Guadeloupe.

Despite its name, Grande-Terre (literally "Large Land" in French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
) is smaller than its sister island Basse-Terre Island. This is because its name was given in contrast with the much smaller Petite Terre Islands

Petite Terre Islands

Petite Terre Islands are two small uninhabited islands located about 10 km to the south-east of the island of Grande-Terre in the archipelago of Guadeloupe, itself in the Lesser Antilles....
("Small Land" Islands), two very small islands located about 10 km (6 miles) south-east of the Grande-Terre (see map to the left).

Grande-Terre's indented coastline is surrounded by coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms. In most reefs the predominant organisms are colonial cnidarian that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate....
s and the island itself is a limestone

Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
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.

The island has a land area of 594.98 km² (229.72 sq mi). At the 2006 census

INSEE

INSEE is the France List of national and international statistical services for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the Economy of France and society, carrying out the periodic national census....
the population of Grande-Terre was 197,603 inhabitants living in 10 communes

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative divisions in the France. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin Medieval commune, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common....
(municipalities). The population density was 332 inhabitants per km² (860 inh. per sq. miles). The most populated communes are, in descending order of population, Les Abymes

Les Abymes

Les Abymes is the most populated Commune in France in the France overseas region and Overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles....
(part of the Pointe-à-Pitre

Pointe-à-Pitre

Pointe-?-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and Overseas department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-?-Pitre....
urban area), Le Gosier

Le Gosier

Le Gosier is the third most populated Commune in France in the France overseas region and Overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles....
(part of the Pointe-à-Pitre urban area), Pointe-à-Pitre

Pointe-à-Pitre

Le Moule

Le Moule is the sixth-largest Commune in France in the France D?partement d'outre-mer d?partement in France of Guadeloupe. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre....
, Sainte-Anne

Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe

Sainte-Anne is a city in the southern part of Grande-Terre, considered by some to be one of the most touristic towns of Guadeloupe .The last census in 1999 indicated that there were 20,410 inhabitants living in Sainte-Anne, up from 16,933 in 1990....
, and Morne-à-l'Eau

Morne-à-l'Eau

Morne-?-l'Eau is a French commune in Guadeloupe. It is home to L'Etoile de Morne-?-l'Eau, a football team who have won the Coupe D.O.M..In March or April each year since 1993, the town organises a crab festival which features crab races and many stalls selling crab-based dishes.....
.