- La Désirade
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This article is about the island of La Désirade. For the administrative commune which includes the island, see La Désirade (commune).
Guadeloupe, with La Désirade in the northeastLa Désirade is a French West Indies island located at the eastern of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles.
It has a land area of 20.64 km² (7,97 sq. miles) and a population of 1,595 in 2006 (down from 1,682 in 1974), with a population density of 77 inh. per km² (200 inh. per sq. mile) in 2006. Most residents live in the settlement of Beauséjour.
Contents
Geography
View of La Désirade from the east coast of Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, showing the central plateau of La Désirade.
The island is located about 8 km off the coast of Grande-Terre, the eastern half of the island of Guadeloupe. Its coordinates are 16°19′N 61°3′W / 16.317°N 61.05°WCoordinates: 16°19′N 61°3′W / 16.317°N 61.05°W. La Désirade is 11 km long and 2 km wide; the interior of the island forms a central plateau.[1]
Administration
BeauséjourAdministratively speaking, the island of La Désirade is part of the commune (municipality) of La Désirade which also includes the uninhabited Petite Terre Islands.
History
La Désirade was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage, and was the site of a leper colony until 1958.
Tybalt Rosembraise was born on the island of La Désirade in 1798.
Notes
- ^ Sullivan, Lynne M. Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica & St. Lucia, Hunter Publishing Inc., ISBN 1556508573, p. 345
External links
- Desirade-sante.com Everything you should know about the major public health crisis that occurred in La Désirade.
Categories:- Islands of Guadeloupe
- Leper colonies
- Volcanism of Guadeloupe
- Jurassic volcanism
- Extinct volcanism
- Guadeloupe geography stubs
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