French Guiana

Department of Guiana

NAIndependence none (overseas department of France)

French Guiana as the 2002 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 113 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 Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

2002

Every edition of French Guiana

Populationas each edition published it

182,333 people July 2002 est. · 97,781 in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.57% 2002 est. · 4.42% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 28.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

76.49 years 2002 est. · 74.87 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.13 children per woman 2002 est. · 3.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

13.22 deaths per 1,000 live births 2002 est. · 19 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$6,000 1998 est. · $4,390 in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

17 fields

Land useshare of 91,000 sq km

permanent crops 0.03%other 99.86% (90% forest, 10% other) (1998 est.)arable land 0.11% NEGL in all · irrigated 20 sq km (1998 est.)

Area

91,000sq km

water: 1,850 sq kmland: 89,150 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

Geography - note

mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent

People

18 fields

Population

182,333

(July 2002 est.)growth rate: 2.57% (2002 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2002 est.)

Birth

21.66Death

4.78Net migration

8.78

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2002 est.)76.49

73.16 · 79.99

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1982 est.)83%

84% · 82%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Age structure

0-14 years:: 30.2% (male 28,140; female 26,876)
15-64 years:: 64.2% (male 63,183; female 53,902)
65 years and over:: 5.6% (male 5,192; female 5,040) (2002 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.17 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population:: 1.13 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate

13.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

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 Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002); President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001)

19 fields

General Council, 31 seats, elected NA March 2000one dot, one seat

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

Country name

conventional long form:: Department of Guiana
conventional short form:: French Guiana
local short form:: Guyane
local long form:: none

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002)
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
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

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 NA 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

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

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];
Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE];
Socialist Party or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE];
Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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 the French economy through subsidies and imports.

32 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

2.5%

(1992) (1992)

Unemployment rate

21.4%

(1998) (1998)

Labor force

58,800

(1997) (1997)

Debt - external

$1.2billion

(1988) (1988)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

62%

France

52%

14%

Switzerland

Trinidad and Tobago

Exports $155 million f.o.b. (1997)Imports $625 million c.i.f. (1997)(1997)

Budget

Revenues

$225 millionExpenditures

$390 million (1996)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)

Electricity

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

Electricity production

450 million (2000)Electricity consumption

418.5 million (2000)

Economy - overview

The economy is tied closely to the French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, 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.