Map of French Guiana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: First settled by the French in 1604 French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou.


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Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: total:91,000 km²; land:89,150 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: Total 1,183 km, Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

Coastline: 378 km

Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone:200 nm; territorial sea:12 nm

Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: Low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains; Lowest point:Atlantic Ocean 0 m; Highest point:Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m

Elevation

Natural resources: Bauxite; Timber; Gold (widely scattered); Cinnabar; Kaolin; Fish

Land use: arable land:0%; permanent crops:0%; permanent pastures:0%; forests and woodland:82%; other:18%

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: Mostly an unsettled wilderness


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Population: 151,187 (July 1996 est.); 145,270 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 3.86% (1996 est.); 4.13% (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun:French Guianese (singular and plural); adjective:French Guianese

Ethnic groups: Black or mulatto 66%; Caucasian 12%; East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%; Other 10%

Languages: French

Religions: Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure: 0-14 years:32% (male 24,447; female 23,378) (July 1996 est.); 32% (male 23,535; female 22,511) (July 1995 est.); 15-64 years:63% (male 52,061; female 43,726) (July 1996 est.); 63% (male 50,064; female 41,995) (July 1995 est.); 65 years and over:5% (male 3,784; female 3,791) (July 1996 est.); 5% (male 3,557; female 3,608) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.86% (1996 est.); 4.13% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 24.68 births/1000 population (1996 est.); 25.23 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 4.59 deaths/1000 population (1996 est.); 4.61 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 18.52 migrant(s)/1000 population (1996 est.); 20.65 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA; Natural hazards:high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
International agreements: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio: at birth:1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years:1.05 male(s)/female; 15-64 years:1.19 male(s)/female; 65 years and over:1 male(s)/female; all ages:1.13 male(s)/female (1996 est.) Infant Mortality Rate:14.6 deaths/1000 live births (1996 est.); 15.1 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth: total population:75.79 years (1996 est.); 75.52 years (1995 est.); male:72.55 years 91,996 est.); 72.27 years (1995 est.); female:79.19 years (1996 est.); 78.94 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.42 children born/woman (1996 est.); 3.46 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: definition:age 15 and over that can read and write (1982); total population:83%; male:84%; female:82%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Department of Guiana; conventional short form: French Guiana; local long form: none; local short form: Guyane

Government type: Overseas department of France

Capital: Cayenne

Administrative divisions: None (overseas department of France)

Dependent areas

Independence: None (overseas department of France)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state:President (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995); represented by Prefect Pierre DARTOUT who was appointed by the French Ministry of Interior; head of government:President of the General Council Stephan PHINERA-HORTH (since March 1994); cabinet:Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: Unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council General Council:Elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA); results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(19 total) PSG 8, RPR 2, UDF 1, other right 1, other 7 Regional Council:Elections last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held NA); results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(31 total) PSG 16, FDG 10, RPR 2, independents 3 French Senate:Elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1998); results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(1 total) PSG 1 French National Assembly:Elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(2 total) RPR 1, independent 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeals (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: The flag of France is used

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy is tied closely to that of France through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities, with exports of fish and fish products (mostly shrimp) accounting for more than 60% of total revenue in 1992. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity_ $6,000 (1993 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar; livestock_cattle, pigs, poultry

Industries: Construction; Shrimp processing; Forestry products; Rum; Gold mining

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate NA

Labor force: 36,597 (1993)
By occupation services government and commerce: 60.6%
By occupation industry: 21.2%
By occupation agriculture: 18.2% (1980)

Unemployment rate: 24.1% (1993 est.); 13% (1990)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$133 million (1992 est.); $735 million (1987); expenditures:$284 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1992 est.); $735 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1987)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: total value. $110 million (f.o.b., 1993); $59 million (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: Shrimp; Timber; Rum; Rosewood essence
Partners: France 52%; Spain 15%; U.S. 5% (1992)

Imports: total value:$719 million (c.i.f., 1992); $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
Commodities: Food (grains; Processed meat); Other consumer goods; Producer goods; Petroleum
Partners: France 77%; Germany 11%; U.S. 5% (1992)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.2 billion (1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1_5.0056 (January 1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990)


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Electricity
Capacity: 180,000 kW
Production: 450 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 3,149 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 31,000 telephones (1990 est.); fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system; Local:NA; Intercity:open wire and microwave radio relay; international:1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 10
With paved runways: over 3,047 m :1; 914 to 1,523 m:2; under 914 m:4; 914 to 1,523 m:3 (1995 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft

Merchant marine: None

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption