Guadeloupe, group of islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea forming an overseas department of France and part of the French Antilles. Guadeloupe is located off the north-western coast of South America, at the juncture of two archipelagos, the Windward Islands and the Lesser Antilles. There are two principal islands and five island dependencies. The two main islands form a butterfly shape, with Basse-Terre to the west and Grande-Terre on the east. They are separated by the Salée River, a narrow arm of the Caribbean Sea, and linked by a bridge. The islands of Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the small Les Saintes group, which are dependencies of the department of Guadeloupe, are nearby. Two other dependencies, St-Barthélemy and the northern section of the island of St-Martin, are located about 250 km (155 mi) to the north-west.