Capesterre-Belle-Eau
| Capesterre-Belle-Eau | |
|---|---|
| Commune | |
The Carbet waterfall, in Capesterre-Belle-Eau
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 Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe |
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| Coordinates: 16°03′N 61°34′W / 16.05°N 61.57°WCoordinates: 16°03′N 61°34′W / 16.05°N 61.57°W | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas region and department | Guadeloupe |
| Arrondissement | Basse-Terre |
| Canton | Canton de Capesterre-Belle-Eau |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Joël Beaugendre |
| Area1 | 103.30 km2 (39.88 sq mi) |
| Population (2013)2 | 19,420 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (490/sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 97107 /97130 |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Capesterre-Belle-Eau is a commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located in the south-east of Basse-Terre Island. Capesterre-Belle-Eau covers an area of 103.3 km² (39.884 sq mi). The 1999 population was 19,568. The population density is 189 persons per km2. The inhabitants are called Capesterriens.
Its name comes from an expression of the navy of the 17th century: cab-be-ground, which indicates a ground exposed to the east wind. The abundance of the cascades, the rivers and the water levels led to the addition of the phrase Belle Eau, hence the name Capesterre-Belle-Eau.
Petroglyphs discovered in the rivers of Peru and Bananier show the presence of American Indians.
On 4 November 1493, Christopher Columbus's second voyage unloaded there. Columbus would have met Amerindians. To commemorate this event, a bust of the navigator was raised in 1916 at the entry of Sainte-Marie.
In the 17th century, Charles Houël gave land to Dutch colonists driven out of Brazil, so that they could grow sugarcane there. After the abolition of chattel slavery in 1848, Indian indentured workers were hired to replace the plantation slaves. They built a temple in the Shangy district.
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