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.
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)
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: Action Democrate Guiana or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Democratic and European Rally of the Senate or RDSE [leader NA]; Guianese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Nationalist Popular Party of Guyana (Parti Nationaliste Populaire Guiana) or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE]; Socialist Party or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE] (may be a subset of PSG); Union for French Democracy or UDF [R. CHOW-CHINE]; Union of Social Democrats (Union des Socialistes Democates) or USD [Theodore ROUMILLAC] (umbrella group of RPR and UDF); Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
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. 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; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem particularly among younger workers.
Exports: $155 million (f.o.b. 1997) Commodities: shrimp timber gold rum rosewood essence clothing Partners: France 62% Switzerland 7% US 2% (1997)
Imports: $625 million (c.i.f. 1997) Commodities: food (grains processed meat) machinery and transport equipment fuels and chemicals Partners: France 52% US 14% Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997)
Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2000) 1.0854 (2000) 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998) 5.8367 (1997) 5.1155 (1996)