Le Moule
| Le Moule | ||
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The church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, in Le Moule
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 Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe |
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| Coordinates: 16°19′50″N 61°20′40″W / 16.3306°N 61.3444°WCoordinates: 16°19′50″N 61°20′40″W / 16.3306°N 61.3444°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Overseas region and department | Guadeloupe | |
| Arrondissement | Pointe-à-Pitre | |
| Canton | Le Moule 1st / Le Moule 2nd | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Gabriel Louis-Carabin | |
| Area1 | 82.84 km2 (31.98 sq mi) | |
| Population (2013)2 | 22,809 | |
| • Density | 280/km2 (710/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 97117 / 97160 | |
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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.
Le Moule is the sixth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre.
Beginning 1635 with the arrival of the French and during the 17th century, the village was called Portland. The principal part of the city was located on the actual site of Autre Bord, towards the east. During the 18th century, the city became the stronghold for colonial aristocracy and the center moved to the left bank of river Audoin. This was thanks to the development of sugar cane and for a better placement of the port on the Atlantic Ocean. A lot of important construction took place to protect and improve the city, one of which was a breakwater ("mole" in French) that gave the city its new name, Le Moule, that became Guadeloupe's main commercial port. On September 20, 1828, Le Moule received rights to export its commodities to the metropolitan France without going through Pointe à Pitre. Thus having direct contact with French territory, it became a target for the British fleet during the Napoleon war at the beginning of the 19th century. The heroic battle of 1809 remains a historic date for Guadeloupe.
In practice, all sugar cane, sugar and rum produced in Grande Terre were shipped from Le Moule's port. Consequently, the city enjoyed a flourishing commerce that was further supplemented by shipments of coffee, cotton, fertilizer, coal, building material and spare parts.
During the first half of the 19th century with its numerous refineries and plantations (at first about thirty then about one hundred), the planters lived a self-sufficient life style farming sugar cane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, spices and other essential food product, thus dominating Guadeloupean economics during the 1850s. After this date, they experienced many financial collapses because of failed crops, abolition of slavery, the production of better sugar in Europe and the very strict "colonial pact". Shared farming has become necessary as well as industrial modernization and steam machines replaced traditional windmills. The sugar crises forced a new decision. In 1901, only 4 refineries survived: Duchassaing, Zévallos, Marly and Gardel. Le Moule's port lost its place of dominance to Pointe à Pitre, the center of commerce shifted and the city fell into solitude.
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