Lamentin (; or ) is a
commune in the
French overseas department and region of
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
. It is part of the agglomeration of
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre (; , , or simply , ) is the second most populous commune of Guadeloupe (after Les Abymes). Guadeloupe is an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a ''Subprefectu ...
, in the north part of
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre (, ; ; ) is a communes of the Guadeloupe department, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefectures in France, pref ...
. Three islets are included in the commune: Christopher, Fajou, Caret.
History
Founded in 1720 in the commune's name comes from a French word for
manatee
Manatees (, family (biology), family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivory, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing t ...
(''lamantin''), a sea creature which used to inhabit the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...
. In the 18th century, the commune underwent a boom, down to
coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
,
caco,
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
and
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
. In 1920, a
cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...
destroyed the mayor's office and
presbytery, which have since been rebuilt by
Ali Tur.
Population
Tourism
Lamentin is home to ''La Ravine Chaude'' (''The hot ravine''), a thermal bathing centre.
Education
Public preschools include:
[LISTE DES ECOLES PUBLIQUES ET PRIVEES SOUS CONTRAT]
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018.
* Ecole maternelle le Verger de Castel
* Ecole maternelle Julien Chabin
* Ecole maternelle Blanche Pierre
* Ecole maternelle Pierrette
Public primary schools include:
[
* Ecole primaire Bourg 1 Lamentin
* Ecole primaire Bourg 2 Lamentin
* Ecole primaire Castel
* Ecole primaire La Rozière
* Ecole primaire Pierrette
* Ecole primaire Vincent
Public junior high schools include:][Établissements du 2nd degré PUBLIC 2017-2018]
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018.
* Collège Appel du 18 juin
Public senior high schools include:[
* LDM de l'habitat et des services associés Bertène Juminer
]
Personalities
* René Toribio (1912-1990), politician
References
External links
Communes of Guadeloupe
Populated places established in 1720
1720 establishments in the French colonial empire
{{Guadeloupe-geo-stub