Vieux-Habitants

Vieux-Habitants
The Church of Saint-Joseph of Vieux-Habitants, classed as an historic monument
Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe
Coordinates: 16°03′N 61°45′W / 16.05°N 61.75°WCoordinates: 16°03′N 61°45′W / 16.05°N 61.75°W
Country	France
Overseas region and department	Guadeloupe
Arrondissement	Basse-Terre
Canton	Vieux-Habitants
Government
• Mayor	Georges Clairy
Area^1	58.70 km^2 (22.66 sq mi)
Population (2013)^2	7,653
• Density	130/km^2 (340/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	97134 / 97119
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Vieux-Habitants (French for Old Inhabitants) is a commune on Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean. It is located on the southwest coast of the island of Basse-Terre.

History

This is the oldest parish, founded in 1636, when the first French settlers inhabited the west coast near the present site of Vieux Habitants.^[1][2] The name, meaning "Old Settlers" derives from the fact that many employees of the West Indies Company retired here and preferred to be called "inhabitants" to distinguish between themselves and the slaves.^[3] It grew gradually as an agricultural area, famous for its coffee, vanilla and Creole gardens.

Geography

Vieux-Habitants is located in the southwest of Basse-Terre island, 87 kilometres southwest of Pointe à Pitre.^[1] It is bordered by the commune of Baillif to the south and Bouillante to the north. The commune also contains the village of Marigot to the north, between Vieux-Habitants village and Bouilliante. The Grand-Rivières river and forests forms a major part of the local scenery, flowing through the Domaniale forest of Guadeloupe National Park into the sea. Natural landmarks include the Plage de Rocroy beach, the Beaugendre Valley of the Grand-Rivières and L'Etang.^[4] There are numerous fresh water pools in the commune.^[1]

Landmarks

Notable plantations in the commune include the Domaine de Vanibel, Domaine de Grivelière, and the Le Musée du Café. Eglise Franc-Maçonne was built in the 18th century.^[4]

Sport

It is the home of football club JS Vieux-Habitants, who are the reigning champions of the Guadeloupe Division d'Honneur.

Notable people

• Victorin Lurel, President of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe

See also

• Communes of the Guadeloupe department

References

1. "Vieux Habitants". Guadeloupe-antilles.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
2. Hoy, Don R. (1961). Agricultural Land Use of Guadeloupe. National Academies. p. 31. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
3. Colón, Christina Paulette; Porter, Darwin; Flippin, Alexis Lipsitz (23 August 2011). Frommer's Caribbean. John Wiley & Sons. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-118-00427-2. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
4. "Vieux-Habitants". Gwadaplans.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.