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*''For the largest city on the island of Basse-Terre and capital of Guadeloupe, see Basse-Terre. For the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis see Basseterre.'' Basse-Terre Island ((フランス語:île de Basse-Terre'' or ''île de la Basse-Terre)) is the name of the western-half of Guadeloupe proper, in the Lesser Antilles. To the South lies Les Saintes and Dominica. In the North-East, it is separated from the other half of Guadeloupe proper, Grande-Terre, by a narrow sea channel called the ''Rivière Salée'' (in English Salt River). Basse-Terre Island has a land area of . At the 2006 census the population of Basse-Terre Island was 186,661 inhabitants living in 16 communes (municipalities). The population density was . The largest city on Basse-Terre Island is the city of Basse-Terre which had 37,455 inhabitants in its urban area at the 2006 census. The city of Basse-Terre is the prefecture (capital) of Guadeloupe. ==Name== Despite its name, Basse-Terre Island (literally "Low Land" Island, "Down Land" Island) is the highest island of Guadeloupe, rising to above sea-level at the Soufrière volcano. The name of the island is the result of French terminology used in the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the Caribbean, the prevailing winds blow from the northeast (see trade wind), thus the western side of the Caribbean islands, the leeward side (in French, ''côte sous le vent''), protected from the trade winds, was called the ''Basse-Terre'' ("Down Land") in 17th-century French because it is situated downwind compared to the eastern side of the Caribbean islands, the windward side (in French, ''côte au vent''), which is exposed to the trade winds and was called the ''Cabesterre''. This distinction between a ''Basse-Terre'' (western side of an island) and a ''Cabesterre'' (eastern side of an island) was used in several Caribbean islands colonized by France. The capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis, for example, was named Basseterre because it is located on the western side of the island of Saint Kitts. Basse-Terre Island was originally called "Guadeloupe" (a name which did not originally include the sister island of Grande-Terre) and as in other French Caribbean islands its western side was called ''Basse-Terre'' while its eastern side was called ''Cabesterre''. The capital and main settlement of Guadeloupe was established on the ''Basse-Terre'' side of the island in the 17th century and was simply called the city of Basse-Terre (in the same way as what happened in Saint Kitts). Later in the 18th century, the entire island (and not just its western side) came to be known as Basse-Terre Island, probably under the influence of its largest settlement the city of Basse-Terre, and the name Guadeloupe was then used for the combined islands of Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Basse-Terre Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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