Baie-Mahault

Baie-Mahault is a commune in France and is the second most populated commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe after Les Abymes The extensive industrial zone of Jarry in Baie-Mahault is by far the most industrialized commune in the islands and the largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles. It is part of the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest metropolitan area in Guadeloupe, located in the northwest.

The inhabitants of Baie-Mahault are called Baie-Mahaultiens.

History

Baie-Mahault may be named for a variety of mangrove called mahault or mahot common in this area.

On 29 November 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars, boats from HMS Heureux attacked French vessels in the harbour and the batteries protecting them. The captain of Heureux was killed and one of his men was wounded. The British succeeded in destroying the guns of one of the two batteries, and in capturing a schooner.

In 1843 there was a severe earthquake. In October 1865, a cholera epidemic flared up. In Guadeloupe, from October 1865 to June 1866, 12,000 inhabitants perished. Mahault Bay was the first and worst hit by the epidemic.