Gua·de·loupe 
(gwŏdl-p′, gwŏd′l-p)
(gwŏdl-p′, gwŏd′l-p) An overseas department of France comprising the islands of Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre and smaller islands in the Leeward Islands of the West Indies. Inhabited by Arawaks and later by Caribs (15th century), the islands were colonized by the French in 1635. Basse-Terre is the capital.