The French Overseas Department of Guadalupe, located in the Leeward Islands of the West Indies about 300 miles (493 km.) southeast of Puerto Rico, has an area of 687 sq. mi. (1,779 sq. km.) and a population of 425,000. Actually it is two islands separated by a narrow stream: volcanic Basse-Terre to the west and flatter limestone formation of Grand Terre to the east. Capital: Basse-Terre, on the island of that name. The principal industries are agriculture, the distillation of liquors, and tourism. Sugar, bananas and rum are exported. ,Guadalupe was discovered by Columbus in 1493 and settle in 1635 by two Frenchmen, L?Olive and Dupiessis, who took possession in the name of the French Company of the Islands of America. When repeated efforts by private companies to colonize the island failed, it was relinquished to the French crown in 1674, and established as a dependency of Martinique. The British occupied the island on two occasions, 1759-1763 and 1810-1816, before it passed permanently to France. A colony until 1946, Guadalupe was then made an overseas territory of the French Union. In 1958 it voted to become an Overseas Department within the new French Community.,, ,Grande-Terre, as noted in the first paragraph, is the eastern member of two-island Guadalupe. Isle Desirade (La Desirade), located east of Grande-Terre, and Les Saintes (lles des Saintes), located south of Basse-Terre, are dependencies of Guadalupe.,, Rulers:,,, ,French,, Monetary System:,,, ,1 Franc = 100 Centimes,, ,1 Nouveau Franc = 100 ?old? Francs, 1960-,,