Discover the Caribbean
Short, fact-checked reads about the history, culture, science and nature of the region. Everything you need before your next challenge.
Science & Nature · Guadeloupe
La Soufrière, a watched volcano
La Soufrière is an active explosive volcano in Basse-Terre. Monitored around the clock from an observatory in Gourbeyre, it once triggered one of the largest evacuations in Caribbean history.
Science & Nature · Guadeloupe
Saharan dust, measured by science
Every year, dust lifted from the Sahara crosses the Atlantic and reaches the Caribbean. Teams based in Guadeloupe measure what it does to air quality in a tropical setting.
Science & Nature · Guadeloupe
The mangrove, a giant nursery
The largest mangrove of the Lesser Antilles lies in Guadeloupe, in the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin. It shields the coast and shelters young fish before they head for open water.
Cinema · Martinique
Euzhan Palcy, a cinema pioneer
In 1983 the Martinican director Euzhan Palcy adapted Joseph Zobel's novel. Months later she became the first female director and the first Black artist to receive a César award.
Culture · Guadeloupe
Gwoka, drum and voice
Singing in Guadeloupean Creole, drumming and dance: in 2014 gwoka was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Culture · Guadeloupe
Carnival and its skin-drum groups
Guadeloupean carnival is not only sequins and floats. Groups such as Akiyo, founded in 1978, or Voukoum, founded in 1988 in Basse-Terre, carry its most deeply rooted face.