Marie-Galante, Caribbean island in Guadeloupe, France
Marie-Galante is an island with white sand beaches, sugar cane fields and three coastal municipalities that extends over 158 square kilometers. A main road circles the entire coast and connects the different settlements with one another.
Christopher Columbus discovered the island during his second voyage in 1493 and named it after his flagship, the Marigalante. Since then, sugar cane cultivation shaped life on the island and left numerous windmills across the landscape.
The Terre de Blues Festival gathers musicians from across the Caribbean and showcases the island's musical traditions through performances and cultural exchanges. The event connects local rhythms with influences from neighboring islands and makes music a living part of everyday life.
Visitors explore the island by ox cart, visit rum distilleries and reach numerous beaches via the main road along the coast. The loop drive provides access to all main locations and offers an overview of the island.
The island preserves traditional sugar production methods with working windmills and belongs to the few Caribbean islands still using ox carts for transport. These old means of locomotion continue to shape the street scene and connect past with present.
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