French Guiana




                                  Header


Affiliation:
     (overseas department of France)


                                 Geography


Location:
     Northern South America, bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean between
     Suriname and Brazil
Map references:
     South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     91,000 sq km
land area:
     89,150 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
     total 1,183 km, Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline:
     378 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both
     headwaters of the Lawa)
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
Land use:
arable land:
     0%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     0%
forest and woodland:
     82%
other:
     18%
Irrigated land:
     NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     NA




natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     NA
Note:
     mostly an unsettled wilderness


                                  People


Population:
     139,299 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     4.27% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     25.83 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     4.67 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     21.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     15.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     75.2 years
male:
     71.93 years
female:
     78.63 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     3.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective:
     French Guianese
Ethnic divisions:
     black or mulatto 66%, Caucasian 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
     12%, other 10%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic
Languages:
     French
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1982)
total population:
     82%
male:
     81%
female:
     83%
Labor force:
     23,265
by occupation:
     services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture
     18.2% (1980)






                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Department of Guiana
conventional short form:
local long form:
     none
local short form:
     Guyane
Digraph:
     FG
Type:
     overseas department of France
Capital:
     Cayenne
Administrative divisions:
     none (overseas department of France)
Independence:
     none (overseas department of France)
National holiday:
     National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
     28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
     French legal system
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
head of government:
     Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA 1992); President of the General
     Council Elie CASTOR (since NA); President of the Regional Council
     Antoine KARAM (22 March 1993)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
     unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council
General Council:
     elections last held 25 September and 8 October 1988 (next to be held
     NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (19 total) PSG 12,
     URC 7
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
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
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




Judicial branch:
     Court of Appeals (highest local court based in Martinique with
     jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Political parties and leaders:
     Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Elie CASTRO; 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
Member of:
     FZ, WCL
Diplomatic representation in US:
     none (overseas department of France)
US diplomatic representation:
     none (overseas department of France)
Flag:
     the flag of France is used


                                  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 that provides
     sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops - rice, cassava, bananas,
     and sugar cane - 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.
National product:
     GDP - exchange rate conversion - $421 million (1986)
National product real growth rate:
     NA%
National product per capita:
     $4,390 (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     4.1% (1987)
Unemployment rate:
     13% (1990)
Budget:
revenues:
     $735 million
expenditures:
     $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987)
Exports:
     $59 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence
partners:
     France 52%, Spain 15%, US 5% (1992)
Imports:
     $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1992)




commodities:
     food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods,
     petroleum
partners:
     France 77%, Germany 11%, US 5% (1992)
External debt:
     $1.2 billion (1988)
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
     92,000 kW
production:
     185 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,450 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Agriculture:
     some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa,
     bananas, sugar; livestock - cattle, pigs, poultry
Economic aid:
recipient:
     Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
     (1970-89), $1.51 billion
Currency:
     1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
     French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.9205 (January 1994), 5.6632 (1993),
     5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Highways:
total:
     680 km
paved:
     510 km
unpaved:
     improved, unimproved earth 170 km
Inland waterways:
     460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal
     steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft
Ports:
     Cayenne
Airports:
total:
     10
usable:
     10
with permanent-surface runways:
     4




with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     1
Telecommunications:
     fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system; 18,100 telephones;
     broadcast stations - 5 AM, 7 FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
     station


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     French Forces, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 40,506; fit for military service 26,394
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP
Note:
     defense is the responsibility of France