Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe)

Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe), town on south-western Basse-Terre Island, a port on the Caribbean Sea. Basse-Terre is the capital of Guadeloupe (an overseas department of France). Tourism and the shipping of locally produced coffee, cacao, and vanilla are leading industries. Nearby points of interest include La Soufriére, a dormant volcano situated in a large national park. Basse-Terre was founded by the French in 1643. It declined in the late 18th century, when Point-à-Pitre became the main economic centre, and in 1979 the town was virtually destroyed by a hurricane. Population 14,107 (1990).