CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(7 fields)
Internet country code
.gf
Internet users
3,200 (2002)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Telephone system
general assessment: NA domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use
51,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular
138,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations
3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
◆ ECONOMY(34 fields)
Agriculture - products
corn, 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 (code)
euro (EUR)
Debt - external
$1.2 billion (1988)
Economic aid - recipient
NA
Economy - overview
The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. 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; 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
427.9 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production
460.1 million kWh (2002)
Exchange rates
Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
Exports
$155 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities
shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners
France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.551 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 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. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities
food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners
France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.5% (2002 est.)
Labor force
58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980)
Oil - consumption
6,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports
NA
Oil - imports
NA
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
22% (2001)
◆ 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; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent
Irrigated land
20 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use
arable land: 0.14% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001)
Location
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Map references
South America
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Natural resources
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay
Terrain
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
◆ GOVERNMENT(19 fields)
Administrative divisions
none (overseas department of France)
Capital
Cayenne
Constitution
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name
conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane
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 Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002) head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-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
UPU, 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 NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); 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 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, 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 September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
National holiday
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Political parties and leaders
Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
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)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 47,809 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 38,676 (2005 est.)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches
no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA
◆ PEOPLE(19 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: 29.3% (male 29,262/female 27,947) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 67,895/female 58,534) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 6,038/female 5,830) (2005 est.)
Birth rate
20.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate
4.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Ethnic groups
black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA%
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
total: 12.07 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Languages
French
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.09 years male: 73.77 years female: 80.58 years (2005 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.)
Median age
total: 28.45 years male: 29.49 years female: 27.31 years (2005 est.)
Nationality
noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese
Net migration rate
5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Population
195,506 (July 2005 est.)
Population growth rate
2.1% (2005 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.)
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(2 fields)
Disputes - international
Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana
Illicit drugs
small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
◆ TRANSPORTATION(7 fields)
Airports
11 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Highways
total: 817 km (1998)
Merchant marine
registered in other countries: 3
Ports and harbors
Degrad des Cannes
Waterways
3,760 km note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)