Petit-Canal

Petit- Canal is a small town with 8022 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe on the homonymous archipelago. It is the capital of the Canton of Petit- Canal, by population and area, the largest municipality of their cantons and relative to the area is the fourth largest municipality in the district Pointe -à- Pitre.

Geography

The city is located in the north of Grande- Terre, on the bay of Anse du Canal the Atlantic Coast ( Côte ouest caraibe ). Neighboring communities of Houlbec - Cocherel are Anse -Bertrand in the north, Le Moule in the southeast and Morne -à- l'Eau in the south. The municipal area covers 7050 hectares, the average height is 35 meters above sea level, the Mairie stands at a height of 18 meters.

Petit- Canal is a climate of the type Af ( Köppen and Geiger after ) assigned: tropical rainforest climate (A ), fully wet ( f). There is diurnal climate in which the temperature differences between day and night is greater than the temperature differences between months. The climatic water balance is positive throughout the year on average. The solution temperature remains in all months above 18 ° C.

History

The old name of Petit- Canal was Mancenillier. Mancenillier is the French word for Hippomane mancinella, a milkweed plant. Petit- Canal was founded in the late 17th century. The Zuckkerrohrstangen were brought over the Canal des Rotours and by the municipality to the sugar factory Duval. The Canal of Rotours was the great channel and the community was in Petit- Canal renamed ( smaller channel '). The sugar factory was later a rum distillery and finally closed.

In 1925 there were violent clashes between cane growers and the gendarmerie. The occasion was the low cane price the factory Duval paid at that time. Six people were killed and the sugarcane price was raised from 66.6 francs per tonne to 73 francs per ton.

Attractions

The Church of Saint -Philippe -Saint -Jacques was built in 1931.

The old slave jail was entered in the Register of Monuments historiques additional ( historical monuments ') 1991. The building is in poor condition. It was built in 1844 after the previous prison had been destroyed by an earthquake.

Economy

An important branch of industry the Canaliens is fishing. There is a distillery in Petit- Canal and tourism is gaining importance.