CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(10 fields)
Branches
French Forces, Gendarmerie
Defense expenditures
$NA, NA% of GDP
Defense note
defense is the responsibility of France
Manpower availability
males age 15-49: 43,412 males fit for military service: 28,171 (1996 est.)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0
Radios
79,000 (1992 est.)
Telephone system
domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones
31,000 (1990 est.)
Television broadcast stations
9
Televisions
22,000 (1992 est.) Defense
◆ ECONOMY(21 fields)
Agriculture
rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, vegetables, bananas, sugar; cattle, pigs, poultry
Budget
revenues: $133 million expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Currency
1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $NA
Economic 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.
Electricity
capacity: 180,000 kW production: 450 million kWh consumption per capita: 3,149 kWh (1993)
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)
Exports
$110 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence partners: France 52%, Spain 15%, US 5% (1992)
External debt
$1.2 billion (1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $800 million (1993 est.)
GDP composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP per capita
$6,000 (1993 est.)
GDP real growth rate
NA%
Illicit drugs
small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
Imports
$719 million (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods, petroleum partners: France 77%, Germany 11%, US 5% (1992)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.5% (1992)
Labor force
36,597 (1993) by occupation: services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Unemployment rate
24.1% (1993 est.)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(15 fields)
Area
total area: 91,000 sq km land area: 89,150 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
378 km
Environment
current issues: NA natural hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding international agreements: NA
Geographic coordinates
4 00 N, 53 00 W
Geographic note
mostly an unsettled wilderness
International disputes
Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use
arable land: NEGL% permanent crops: NEGL% meadows and pastures: NEGL% forest and woodland: 88% other: 12% (1992)
Location
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Map references
South America
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
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
◆ GOVERNMENT(22 fields)
Administrative divisions
none (overseas department of France)
Capital
Cayenne
Constitution
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Data code
FG
Diplomatic representation in US
none (overseas department of France)
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)
Flag
the flag of France is used
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
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
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
Independence
none (overseas department of France)
International organization participation
FZ, WCL, WFTU
Judicial branch
Court of Appeals (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Legal system
French legal system
Legislative branch
unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council
Name of country
conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane
National holiday
National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Political parties and leaders
Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Raymond TRACY; Conservative Union for the Republic (UPR), Leon BERTRAND; Rally for the Center Right (URC); Rally for the Republic (RPR); Guyana Democratic Front (FDG), Georges OTHILY; Walwari Committee, Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON; Socialist Party (PS), Jean BART; Union for French Democracy (UDF), R. CHOW-CHINE
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type of government
overseas department of France
US diplomatic representation
none (overseas department of France)
◆ PEOPLE(15 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: 32% (male 24,447; female 23,378) 15-64 years: 63% (male 52,061; female 43,726) 65 years and over: 5% (male 3,784; female 3,791) (July 1996 est.)
Birth rate
24.68 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate
4.59 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions
black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Infant mortality rate
14.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Languages
French
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.79 years male: 72.55 years female: 79.19 years (1996 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1982 est.) total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82%
Nationality
noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese
Net migration rate
18.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Population
151,187 (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate
3.86% (1996 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic
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.)
Total fertility rate
3.42 children born/woman (1996 est.)
◆ TRANSPORTATION(6 fields)
Airports
total: 10 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 4 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 (1995 est.)
Highways
total: 1,817 km (national 432 km, departmental 385 km, community 1,000 km) paved: 727 km unpaved: 1,090 km (1995 est.)
Merchant marine
none
Ports
Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni
Railways
0 km (1995)
Waterways
460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft