Basse-Terre
[key], town, on Basse-Terre Island, capital of Guadeloupe, a French overseas
department in the West Indies. Basse-Terre is a port that ships the products
of the surrounding agricultural area. Founded by the French in 1643, it
retains its French colonial atmosphere, but its commercial prosperity passed
to Pointe-à-Pitre in the late 18th cent. The evacution of more than
70,000 in 1976 due to the eruption of Soufrière caused a permanent
drop in the town's and island's population. Both subsequently have suffered
from a series of hurricanes; the town suffered especially significant damage
in 1979.
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