December 13, 2017
The active stratovolcano La Grande Soufriere, or “big sulphur outlet,” is located on the Basse-Terre island of Guadeloupe. Although the volcano hasn’t had a magmatic eruption in over 500 years, it continues to have phreatic eruptions relatively frequently. The volcano is the highest point in the Lesser Antilles, at 4,813 feet (1,467 m).
La Grande Soufriere is in the Guadeloupe National Park, which from 1970 to 2007 was the only French national park outside of metropolitan France and earned UNESCO recognition in 1992. With a core area of 66.8 square miles (173 km²), the Guadeloupe National Park is composed of three ecosystem types: tropical rainforest, coastal forest and mangrove. The park is home to 17 species of mammals, 33 species of birds and an extensive diversity of insects. The park also has a series of three major waterfalls, with drops of 410 feet (125 m), 360 feet (110 m) and 66 feet (20 m).
