Guadeloupe
Geographic search
Search by city
GRANDE TERRE
- Abymes
- Anse Bertrand
- Gosier
- Moule
- Morne a l'eau
- Petit Canal
- Pointe a Pitre
- Port Louis
- Sainte Anne
- Saint Francois
BASSE TERRE
|
Le
Moule |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||
Archaeological
excavations made it possible to attest the presence of Amerindians in this area
since the first centuries before J.C. The site of Le Moule is announced in 1696
by the Auger governor. In the XVIII th Century it is the principal sugar port of
the island. The borough was located then at Portland.
In 1776 the borough moves towards a more flat zone thus more favourable to the
building of houses and trade.
In
the XIX th Century it extends towards its current site, which obliges to build a
bridge connecting the two banks of the Audoin river. Fortifications are built to
prevent English attacks, and the harbour activities develop. In 1826 Le Moule is
the second town of Guadeloupe with 8047 inhabitants. Good mooring, sure and well
sheltered once crossed the shelves, the ships came there to charge sugar and rum
from the area, and there arrived the very important items like coal, essential
to the forging mills and the engines, manures and spare parts for the factories.
In the XIX th Century in Guadeloupe, the position of Le Moule is dominant in
agricultural matter. Sugar cane, coffee and cotton are the main cultures.
Today, this commune has kept its agricultural vocation. It still remains the
only one to have a sugar unit in activity (Gardel) and has even a distilling of
rum manufacture (Damoiseau Distilling). As if history was repeating, the
transport of coal by terrestrial way this time started again with the opening of
the power station bagasse coal.
.