Map of French Guiana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | 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: 4 00 N, 53 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: total:91,000 km²; land:89,150 km²; water:1,850 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: total:1,183 km; border countries: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

Elevation
Extremes: lowest point:Atlantic Ocean 0 m; highest point:Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m

Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish

Land use: arable land:0%; permanent crops:0%; permanent pastures:0%; forests and woodland:83%; other:17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding

Geography
Note: mostly an unsettled wilderness


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Population: 167,982 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 3.19% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Ethnic groups: black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%

Languages: French

Religions: Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure: 0-14 years:31% (male 26,713; female 25,514); 15-64 years:64% (male 57,935; female 48,959); 65 years and over:5% (male 4,479; female 4,382) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.19% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 23.27 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.52 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 13.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements: party to:NA; signed, but not ratified:NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio: at birth:1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years:1.05 male(s)/female; 15-64 years:1.18 male(s)/female; 65 years and over:1.02 male(s)/female; total population:1.13 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 12.93 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population:76.61 years; male:73.41 years; female:79.97 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.31 children born/woman (1999 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 can read and write; total population:83%; male:84%; female:82% (1982 est.)

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: NA

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 Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since NA January 1997); head of government:President of the General Council Stephan PHINERA (since NA March 1994); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since NA March 1992); cabinet:NA; elections:French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms); elections:General Council_last held 20-27 March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council_last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); election results:General Council_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PSG 8, FDG 4, RPR 1, other left 2, other right 2, other 2; Regional Council_percent of vote by party_PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari 6%; seats by party_PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari 2; note:one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2007); results_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 25 May_1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results_percent of vote by party _NA; seats by party_RPR 1, PSG 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (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
In the us: none (overseas department of France)
From the us: none (overseas department of France)

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 which provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; sugar cane is the major cash crop. 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 ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: sugar, rice, corn, manioc (tapioca), cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry

Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 58,800 (1997)
By occupation services government and commerce: 60.6%
By occupation industry: 21.2%
By occupation agriculture: 18.2% (1980)

Unemployment rate: 25.7% (1997 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$191 million; expenditures:$332 million, including capital expenditures of $88 million (1996)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

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: $148 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Partners: France 60%, EU 7% (1994)

Imports: $600 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodities: food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Partners: France 62%, Germany 4%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4%, US 2% (1994)

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_5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 425 million kWh (1996)
By source: fossil fuel:100%; hydro:0%; nuclear:0%; other:0% (1996)

Electricity consumption: 425 million kWh (1996)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: domestic:fair open wire and microwave radio relay system; international:satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $N/A
Percent of gdp: NA%

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: 11 (1998 est.)
With paved runways: total:4; over 3,047 m:1; 914 to 1,523 m:2; under 914 m:1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways: total:7; 914 to 1,523 m:2; under 914 m:5 (1998 est.)

Airports with paved runways: total:4; over 3,047 m:1; 914 to 1,523 m:2; under 914 m:1 (1998 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways: total:7; 914 to 1,523 m:2; under 914 m:5 (1998 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km (1995)

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; minor transshipment point to Europe