Les Abymes | |
|---|---|
 The Main Square in Les Abymes | |
 Location of the commune (in red) within Guadeloupe | |
 Location of Les Abymes | |
| Coordinates:16°16′N61°31′W / 16.27°N 61.52°W /16.27; -61.52 | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas region and department | Guadeloupe |
| Arrondissement | Pointe-à-Pitre |
| Canton | Les Abymes-1,2 and3 |
| Intercommunality | CAP Excellence |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Éric Jalton[1] |
Area 1 | 81.25 km2 (31.37 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 51,055 |
| • Density | 628.4/km2 (1,627/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−04:00 (AST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 97101 /97139 and 97142 |
| Elevation | 0–120 m (0–394 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Les Abymes (French pronunciation:[lez‿abim];Antillean Creole:Zabim) is the most populouscommune in theFrenchoverseas region anddepartment ofGuadeloupe, in theLesser Antilles. It is located on the west side of the island ofGrande-Terre, and is part of the largest metropolitan area of Guadeloupe, which also coversPointe-à-Pitre.[3]
Les Abymes is located some 3 km north-east ofPointe-à-Pitre, 7 km east ofBaie-Mahault, and 10 km south-west ofMorne-à-l'Eau. Access to the commune is byRoute nationale N1 from Baie-Mahault in the west which passes along the southern border of the commune and continues south as the N4. The N5 branches off the N1 and goes north-east through the centre of the commune and continues north-east to Morne-a-L'eau. The N11 branches off the N5 on the south-east of the town and continues north-west then west rejoining the N1. The D106 road also goes north from the commune to Vieux Bourg. TheRoute du Palais Royal passes north-east through the commune to join the N5. TheRoute de Chazeau branches from the Route du Palais Royal and goes north-east to Doubs.[4]
Access to thePointe-à-Pitre International Airport is from the N11.
Les Abymes is integrated into the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre and, like the rest of the island, has a tropical climate.
Source:[4]
Places adjacent to Les Abymes | |
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Les Abymes has atropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classificationAm). The average annual temperature in Les Abymes is 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,557.8 mm (61.33 in) with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.1 °C (82.6 °F), and lowest in February, at around 25.0 °C (77.0 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Les Abymes was 34.2 °C (93.6 °F) on 21 July 2001 and 10 August 1995; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 13.0 °C (55.4 °F) on 4 February 1958.
| Climate data for Les Abymes(Le Raizet Airport, altitude 11m, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.8 (91.0) | 33.3 (91.9) | 33.3 (91.9) | 33.4 (92.1) | 34.2 (93.6) | 34.2 (93.6) | 34.1 (93.4) | 34.1 (93.4) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 34.2 (93.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.5 (86.9) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.6 (87.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.5 (79.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.7 (80.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.9 (69.6) | 20.9 (69.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.4 (72.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.8 (73.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) | 13.0 (55.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 15.8 (60.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 16.8 (62.2) | 14.4 (57.9) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 89.3 (3.52) | 58.2 (2.29) | 72.3 (2.85) | 98.9 (3.89) | 122.5 (4.82) | 105.2 (4.14) | 134.6 (5.30) | 162.8 (6.41) | 198.3 (7.81) | 202.7 (7.98) | 186.4 (7.34) | 126.6 (4.98) | 1,557.8 (61.33) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 15.7 | 12.8 | 11.4 | 12.2 | 12.7 | 13.2 | 15.3 | 16.4 | 16.1 | 16.6 | 17.0 | 16.4 | 175.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 200.9 | 190.7 | 214.0 | 209.0 | 215.1 | 209.5 | 213.8 | 223.2 | 199.3 | 197.7 | 182.5 | 193.4 | 2,449 |
| Source:Météo-France[5] | |||||||||||||
The islands have been occupied sincePre-Columbian era. Some remains have been found in the Dothémare area but the most remarkable were those found in Belle Plaine where surveys conducted by theDirection régionale des affaires culturelles (DRAC) in 2006 revealed the existence of a sizeable town dated from 1000 and 1200 AD (Troumassoid culture).
The first village, located a few kilometres from the current urban centre, was founded in 1691. It consisted of a few houses and experienced some development through the cultivation ofsugar cane,cocoa, andcoffee. A Parish Church was built in Les Abymes in 1726.
Les Abymes belongs to the community of communes calledCap Excellence which brings it together with Pointe-à-Pitre and Baie-Mahault. The commune is divided into three cantons:
 |
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1967 | Maurice Fleury |
| 1967 | 1995 | Frédéric Jalton |
| 1995 | 1995 | René-Serge Nabajoth |
| 1995 | 2008 | Daniel Marsin |
| 2008 | 2026 | Éric Jalton |
The currentHôtel de Ville was completed in 1986.[7]
Les Abymes hastwinning associations with:
Boucherville (Canada) since 1988.[8]
Créteil (France)The inhabitants of the commune are known asAbymiens orAbymiennes in French.[9]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 18,425 | — |
| 1961 | 30,791 | +7.61% |
| 1967 | 39,911 | +4.42% |
| 1974 | 53,605 | +4.30% |
| 1982 | 56,165 | +0.58% |
| 1990 | 62,605 | +1.37% |
| 1999 | 63,054 | +0.08% |
| 2007 | 59,404 | −0.74% |
| 2012 | 58,606 | −0.27% |
| 2017 | 53,491 | −1.81% |
| Source: INSEE[10] | ||
Most of the economic activity of Les Abymes is related to the presence of thePointe-à-Pitre International Airport (formerly Aéroport du Raizet). The airlineAir Caraïbes has its headquarters in Les Abymes.[11]
Although not a resort, Les Abymes is the second most important economic centre of Guadeloupe after the industrial zone of Jarry. The Milénis shopping centre is located in the commune. The "Family Plaza Complex" including a multiplex cinema, a shopping mall, and a leisure centre is due to open in 2015.[12]
There are several educational institutions in the commune:
Public primary level:
Public junior high schools:[14]
Public sixth-form colleges/senior high schools:[14]
Private primary level:
Private secondary schools under contract:[15]
The Apprentice Training School for the Chamber of Crafts of Guadeloupe.[citation needed]
Former schools??
The commune also hosts the headquarters of the Rector of theAcadémie de la Guadeloupe [fr] ("Academy of Guadeloupe"). A new building is under construction in the Dothémare-Providence ZAC scheduled for completion in the first quarter 2015.[16]
The University Hospital (CHU) of Pointe-à-Pitre / Les Abymes was the largest on the island in 2013 bringing together some 40 hospital services covering all medical fields with a total capacity of 862 beds with 319 doctors, 120 interns, and 3,000 hospital workers.[17] The hospital is to be rebuilt at Perrin (commencing 2016 for delivery in 2019).
The Polyclinic of Guadeloupe is located at Morne Jolivière and is a private care centre with a total capacity of 110 beds including 20 beds for maternity.[18]
The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
The commune has two religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
 | This list of residentsmay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Please helpimprove it by addingreliable sources for existing names which prove they are residents. Unsourced names may be challenged and removed.(October 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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