CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(8 fields)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
NA
Radio broadcast stations
AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Radios
104,000 (1997)
Telephone system
domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use
47,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular
NA
Television broadcast stations
3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
30,000 (1997)
◆ ECONOMY(31 fields)
Agriculture - products
rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Budget
revenues: $225 million expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
Currency
1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Debt - external
$1.2 billion (1988)
Economic aid - recipient
$NA
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.
Electricity - consumption
400 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - production
430 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Exchange rates
euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995)
Exports
$155 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities
shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners
France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$625 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities
food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners
France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.5% (1992)
Labor force
58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation
services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
21.4% (1998 est.)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(17 fields)
Area
total: 91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Indiana
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
378 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Environment - current issues
NA
Geographic coordinates
4 00 N, 53 00 W
Geography - note
mostly an unsettled wilderness
Irrigated land
20 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 90% other: 10% (1996 est.)
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 hazards
high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Natural resources
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Terrain
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
◆ GOVERNMENT(19 fields)
Administrative divisions
none (overseas department of France)
Capital
Cayenne
Constitution
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name
conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane
Data code
FG
Dependency status
overseas department of France
Diplomatic representation from the US
none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas department of France)
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 Andre LECANTE (since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 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
Flag description
the flag of France is used
Government type
NA
Independence
none (overseas department of France)
International organization participation
FZ, WCL, WFTU
Judicial branch
Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Legal system
French legal system
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 Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 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
National holiday
National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
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]
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
◆ INTRODUCTION(1 fields)
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.
◆ MILITARY(6 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches
French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA%
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 48,445 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 31,367 (2000 est.)
◆ PEOPLE(15 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: 31% (male 27,116; female 25,902) 15-64 years: 64% (male 59,690; female 50,621) 65 years and over: 5% (male 4,694; female 4,582) (2000 est.)
Birth rate
22.44 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate
4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Ethnic groups
black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Infant mortality rate
13.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Languages
French
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 76.1 years male: 72.77 years female: 79.6 years (2000 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.)
Nationality
noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese
Net migration rate
11.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Population
172,605 (July 2000 est.)
Population growth rate
2.93% (2000 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.21 children born/woman (2000 est.)
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(2 fields)
Disputes - international
Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Illicit drugs
small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
◆ TRANSPORTATION(8 fields)
Airports
11 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (1999 est.)
Highways
total: 1,817 km paved: 727 km unpaved: 1,090 km (1995 est.)
Merchant marine
none (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors
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