Pointe-à-Pitre | ||
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A view of Pointe-à-Pitre, from the seaport
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Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe |
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Coordinates: 16°14′28″N 61°31′59″W / 16.2411°N 61.5331°WCoordinates: 16°14′28″N 61°31′59″W / 16.2411°N 61.5331°W | ||
Country | France | |
Overseas region and department | Guadeloupe | |
Arrondissement | Pointe-à-Pitre | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2008–2014) | Jacques Bangou | |
Area1 | 2.66 km2 (1.03 sq mi) | |
Population (2013)2 | 15,992 | |
• Density | 6,000/km2 (16,000/sq mi) | |
Time zone | UTC-4 | |
INSEE/Postal code | 97120 / 97110 | |
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. |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Pointe-à-Pitre (French: Pointe-à-Pitre, pronounced: [pwɛ̃tapitʁ]; Creole: Lapwent, [lapwɛ̃t]) is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département 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 largest city and economic capital. In 1999 it had a population of 171,773 inhabitants in its urban area, of whom 17,541 lived in the city (commune) of Pointe-à-Pitre proper. The inhabitants are called "Pointois".
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport, Guadeloupe's main international airport, is located 3 km (1.9 mi) north of downtown Pointe-à-Pitre in the commune of Les Abymes.
Jacques Bangou is the current mayor of Pointe-à-Pitre.
Pointe-à-Pitre is situated on the southwest portion of the island of Grande-Terre, facing the Caribbean Sea and is an ideal place 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 Les Abymes, Baie-Mahault and Le Gosier. 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.