The two mains islands (Grande and Basse Terre), are linked up by a narrow arm of the sea, the Rivière Salée.

Basse-Terre (848 km²-209545 acres) is mountainous, covered with tropical forest, 300 km²/74131 acres of which is a Natural Parc, and with a great number of banana plantations; the highest volcano of the Antilles - la Soufrière (1.467m) - and the longest river of the archipelago, the Rivière à Goyaves (32 km of length) are situated in this area.
The capital, the town of Basse-Terre, also is situated on this part of the island.

Grande-Terre (590 km²-145792 acres) is of limestone and rather flat (the highest point is: Morne l'Escale in the Grands Fonds, (135 m above the sea level). Here is the home of sugar cane, but she is also the part that is most urbanized with the economical capital of Pointe-à-Pitre and its suburbs.

The other islands are called the "dependencies": Marie Galante, with its pancake shape is the biggest one, the archipelago of the Saintes with Terre de Haut and Terre de Bas south of Basse-Terre and Désirade, look-out post of the archipelago east of Grande-Terre. More distant (200 km - 124 miles) north-north-west, since 2007 French Territorial Collectivities, are Saint Barth and Saint Martin which is divided in a Netherland part (1/3 south) and a French part (53 km²/13097 acres with the small island of Tintamarre).