French Guiana

Department of Guiana

NAIndependence none (overseas department of France)

French Guiana as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 105 fields, one of 17 editions from 1990 to 2006.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalCayenne

Position4 00 N, 53 00 W

Area91,000 sq km

LocationNorthern South America, bordering the North Atlantic

1999

Every edition of French Guiana

Populationas each edition published it

167,982 people July 1999 est. · 97,781 in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.19% 1999 est. · 4.42% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 28.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

76.61 years 1999 est. · 74.87 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.31 children per woman 1999 est. · 3.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

12.93 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 19 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$6,000 1998 est. · $4,390 in 1993

Geography

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic | Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

18 fields

Land useshare of 91,000 sq km

permanent pastures 0%forests and woodland 83%other 17% (1993 est.)arable land 0% in all · permanent crops 0% in all · irrigated 20 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

91,000sq km

land: 89,150 sq kmwater: 1,850 sq kmslightly smaller than Indiana

Coastline

378km

exclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

851m

Bellevue de l'Ininilowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Land boundaries

1,183km

border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

Location

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Climate

tropical;
hot, humid;
little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains

Natural resources

bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish

Natural hazards

high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding

Environment--international agreements

party to:: NA
signed, but not ratified:: NA

People

15 fields

Population

167,982

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 3.19% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

23.27Death

4.52Net migration

13.1

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)76.61

73.41 · 79.97

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1982 est.)83%

84% · 82%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate

12.93 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

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%

Government

NA; President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since NA January 1997); President of the General Council Stephan PHINERA (since NA March 1994)

19 fields

Legislature, 31 seatsone dot, one seat

-PS 11various left parties 9RPR 6independents 3Walwari 2

Country name

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)

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

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

Guianese Socialist Party or PSG subset of PSG);
Nationalist Popular Party of Guyana (Parti LECANTE];
Democratic and European Rally of the Senate or RDSE

International organization participation

FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas department of France)

Flag description

the flag of France is used

Economy

The economy is tied closely to that of France | through subsidies and imports.

31 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$6,000

purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

2.5%

(1992)

Unemployment rate

25.7%

(1997 est.)

Labor force

58,800

(1997)

Budget

Revenues

$191 millionExpenditures

$332 million (1996)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $88 million

Electricity

fossil fuel 100%hydro 0% · nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

425 million (1996)Electricity consumption

425 million (1996)

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.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$1 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate

NA%

GDP--composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force--by occupation

services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)

Industries

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

Agriculture--products

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

Exports

$148 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities

shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing

Exports--partners

France 60%, EU 7% (1994)

Imports

$600 million (c.i.f., 1997)

Imports--commodities

food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals

Imports--partners

France 62%, Germany 4%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4%, US 2% (1994)

Debt--external

$1.2 billion (1988)

Economic aid--recipient

$NA

Currency

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

31,000

(1990 est.)

Telephone system

domestic:: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system
international:: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0

Radios

79,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

3 (in addition, there are eight low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

22,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2

Networkskm

Highways

1,817Railways

0 (1995)Waterways

460

Highways: (national 432 km, departmental 385 km, community 1,000 km) · paved: 727 km · unpaved: 1,090 km (1995 est.) · Waterways: , navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft

Highways

total:: 1,817 km (national 432 km, departmental 385 km, community 1,000 km)
paved:: 727 km
unpaved:: 1,090 km (1995 est.)

Military

French Forces, Gendarmerie

6 fields

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

Central Intelligence Agency. “French Guiana.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/french-guiana/1999.

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