Baie-Mahault
Encyclopedia
Baie-Mahault is the second most populated commune in the French
overseas region and department of Guadeloupe
after Abymes The extensive Zoning Industriel of Jarry, in Baie-Mahault is far the most industrialized communes in the islands and the largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles
.
It is part of the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre
, the largest conurbation
in Guadeloupe, located 7 km (4 NM) in the northwest.
In the 2008 census
, Baie-Mahault had a population of 29,980. The commune has a land area of 46 square kilometre. The population density is 628 persons per km². The inhabitants of Baie-Mahault are called Baie-Mahaultiens.
Ary Chalus
is the current incumbent Mayor of Baie-Mahault as of 2010.
called mahault or mahot common in this area.
On 29 November 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars
, boats from HMS Heureux attacked French vessels in the harbour and the batteries protecting them. The captain of Heureux was killed and one of his men was wounded. The British succeeded in destroying the guns of one of the two batteries, and in capturing a schooner.
In 1843 there was a severe earthquake. In October 1865, a cholera
epidemic flared up. In Guadeloupe, from October 1865 to June 1866, 12,000 inhabitants perished. Mahault Bay was the first and worst hit by the epidemic.
In 1910, the Darboussier Factory was constructed. In 1918, the TSF radio station was built. An electric generating plant was built in 1934 which supplied Guadeloupe. The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane
destroyed much of the town. The church and the presbytery were rebuilt in 1933. The Gabarre bridge and the industrial and commercial park of Jarry, the largest in Guadeloupe, were built. In 2001, Ary Chalus became mayor.
, where it meets Grande-Terre
. A channel, navigable by smaller boats, of from 30–100 yards across, called Riviere Salee or Salt River separates the two islands. The Baie-Mahault area sets in marshlands and marine cul-de-sacs. The town prospered through fertile arable lands used to grow sugar cane. The mangrove swamps are a few miles east at the Salt River. Baie-Mahault is 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of the city of Pointe-à-Pitre
and 8 km (5 mi) west of Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
.
port. Basse-Terre grows more crops than Grande-Terre, but has fewer people and most of them are in the primary sector.
The 300 hectares (741.3 acre) artisanal, commercial, and industrial park of Jarry, with more than 3,500 companies is among the very largest industrial parks of France. It accommodates the Port authority of Guadeloupe, the Complex World Trade Center (logistical center of the CCI of Pointe-à-Pitre), the oil terminals of the SARA (Société Anonyme de la Raffinerie des Antilles), and two power plants. The industrial and commercial park of Jarry-Moudong is regarded as the economic lung of the Guadeloupe with employment of more than 10,000. Jarry is ideally located between the international airport and the port and also accommodates a free zone the EEC intended for the operations of international trade for its warehouses.
At the end of the borough, below the town hall, a landing stage located at the edge of the lagoon, is the starting point of tours of the bay.
The shopping center of Carrefour
, in Destrellan is located in Baie-Mahault, where you can buy French imports such as cologne, perfumes, clothing, food, etc.
It is the busiest and largest hypermarket zone anywhere in the Lesser Antilles
, where there are in an average day between 5.000 and 10.000 visitors.
The main sport arena is a single velodrome, in Gourde-Liane nearby Destrellan and a stadium called Fiesque Duchesne (some events are such as notables concerts including Ray Charles
, George Benson
, Diam's
, Al Jarreau
and Lionel Richie
The industrial park of Jarry has an oil terminal, two electrical and thermal power stations for the many industrial and commercial businesses and a logistic center for the CCI.
A sandy beach near Mahault Bay is protected by coral reef
s.
On Pointe Double, you can see a lighthouse and a weather station.
A leprosarium, or leper's
house, was operated by the Soeurs de la Charite and closed in 1954.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
overseas region and department of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
after Abymes The extensive Zoning Industriel of Jarry, in Baie-Mahault is far the most industrialized communes in the islands and the largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
.
It is part of the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre 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....
, the largest conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
in Guadeloupe, located 7 km (4 NM) in the northwest.
In the 2008 census
INSEE
INSEE is the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. It collects and publishes information on the French economy and society, carrying out the periodic national census. Located in Paris, it is the French branch of Eurostat, European Statistical System...
, Baie-Mahault had a population of 29,980. The commune has a land area of 46 square kilometre. The population density is 628 persons per km². The inhabitants of Baie-Mahault are called Baie-Mahaultiens.
Ary Chalus
Ary Chalus
Ary Chalus is a Guadeloupean politician. Chalus is the current incumbent mayor of Baie-Mahault as of 2010.-References:...
is the current incumbent Mayor of Baie-Mahault as of 2010.
History
Baie-Mahault may be named for a variety of mangroveMangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
called mahault or mahot common in this area.
On 29 November 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, boats from HMS Heureux attacked French vessels in the harbour and the batteries protecting them. The captain of Heureux was killed and one of his men was wounded. The British succeeded in destroying the guns of one of the two batteries, and in capturing a schooner.
In 1843 there was a severe earthquake. In October 1865, a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic flared up. In Guadeloupe, from October 1865 to June 1866, 12,000 inhabitants perished. Mahault Bay was the first and worst hit by the epidemic.
In 1910, the Darboussier Factory was constructed. In 1918, the TSF radio station was built. An electric generating plant was built in 1934 which supplied Guadeloupe. The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane
1928 Okeechobee Hurricane
The Okeechobee hurricane, or San Felipe Segundo hurricane, was a deadly hurricane that struck the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Florida in September of the 1928 Atlantic hurricane season...
destroyed much of the town. The church and the presbytery were rebuilt in 1933. The Gabarre bridge and the industrial and commercial park of Jarry, the largest in Guadeloupe, were built. In 2001, Ary Chalus became mayor.
Geography
Baie-Mahault (Mangrove Bay) is located in the borough called Canton and it extends a vast plain of northeastern Basse-Terre IslandBasse-Terre Island
Basse-Terre Island is the name of the western-half of Guadeloupe proper, in the Lesser Antilles. It is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe proper, Grande-Terre, by a narrow sea channel called the Rivière Salée ....
, where it meets Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre is an island in the Guadeloupe, separated by Basse-Terre Island by a salt river. Grande-Terre's northernmost point, Pointe de la Grande Vigie, is also the northernmost point in Guadeloupe....
. A channel, navigable by smaller boats, of from 30–100 yards across, called Riviere Salee or Salt River separates the two islands. The Baie-Mahault area sets in marshlands and marine cul-de-sacs. The town prospered through fertile arable lands used to grow sugar cane. The mangrove swamps are a few miles east at the Salt River. Baie-Mahault is 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of the city of Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre 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....
and 8 km (5 mi) west of Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport or Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport is an airport serving Pointe-à-Pitre on the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe. The airport is located in Abymes, north-northeast of Pointe-à-Pitre. It is the main hub for Air Caraïbes and Air Antilles Express. It is the...
.
Climate
Baie-Mahault experiences a good amount of rainfall during the year, with a wetter season between July and November which coincides with hurricane season. The town receives 1500 2000 mm of rainfall. Tropical heat brings constant highs of around 32 °C (89 °F) that drop to 20 °C (68 °F) at night. Trade winds, called alizés, blow from the northeast and often temper the climate. The hurricane season occurs from June to November.Economy
The town is surrounded by one major crop: sugarcane. A sugar factory is southwest of Baie-Mahault. Cane cutters cut cane and sometimes transport it by ox-cart. Southwards, are some banana and pineapple plantations. As the town sits on two bays, there is no surprise that there is a fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
port. Basse-Terre grows more crops than Grande-Terre, but has fewer people and most of them are in the primary sector.
The 300 hectares (741.3 acre) artisanal, commercial, and industrial park of Jarry, with more than 3,500 companies is among the very largest industrial parks of France. It accommodates the Port authority of Guadeloupe, the Complex World Trade Center (logistical center of the CCI of Pointe-à-Pitre), the oil terminals of the SARA (Société Anonyme de la Raffinerie des Antilles), and two power plants. The industrial and commercial park of Jarry-Moudong is regarded as the economic lung of the Guadeloupe with employment of more than 10,000. Jarry is ideally located between the international airport and the port and also accommodates a free zone the EEC intended for the operations of international trade for its warehouses.
Sights
There are two hotel, Hotel-o-Matic, in Jarry and Villa Baie Mahault, in walking distance to Baie-Mahault.At the end of the borough, below the town hall, a landing stage located at the edge of the lagoon, is the starting point of tours of the bay.
The shopping center of Carrefour
Carrefour
Carrefour S.A. is an international hypermarket chain headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world...
, in Destrellan is located in Baie-Mahault, where you can buy French imports such as cologne, perfumes, clothing, food, etc.
It is the busiest and largest hypermarket zone anywhere in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
, where there are in an average day between 5.000 and 10.000 visitors.
The main sport arena is a single velodrome, in Gourde-Liane nearby Destrellan and a stadium called Fiesque Duchesne (some events are such as notables concerts including Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, Diam's
Diam's
Diam's is a French-language rap artist of French and Greek Cypriot origin. Her family moved to Essonne in 1984....
, Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
and Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
The industrial park of Jarry has an oil terminal, two electrical and thermal power stations for the many industrial and commercial businesses and a logistic center for the CCI.
A sandy beach near Mahault Bay is protected by coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s.
On Pointe Double, you can see a lighthouse and a weather station.
A leprosarium, or leper's
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
house, was operated by the Soeurs de la Charite and closed in 1954.
Sectors
The settlements are depending of the commune are:- Agathon
- Beausoleil
- Belcourt
- Bragelogne
- La Jaille
- Calvaire
- Convenance
- Moudong
- Jarry
- La Retraite
- Gourde-Liane
- Fonds Richer
- Wonche
- Destrellan
- Trioncelle
- La Retraite
Notables resident
- Francky VincentFrancky VincentFrancky Vincent is a singer, song-writer, producer, painter, manager and musician of at least 170 songs from Guadeloupe...
- Very popular Guadeloupean singer, once lived in the commune. - Johan PetroJohan PetroJohan Petro is a French professional basketball player of Guadeloupean descent who is playing for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association. A 7'0", 247 lbs. center, Petro was selected by the Sonics in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft...
- Part time resident