Introduction

French Guiana

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

French Guiana

Location:	Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Geographic coordinates:	4 00 N, 53 00 W
Map references:	South America
Area:	total: 91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative:	slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:	total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline:	378 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:	tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:	low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Natural resources:	bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay
Land use:	arable land: 0.13% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other) (2005)
Irrigated land:	20 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:	high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Environment - current issues:	NA
Geography - note:	mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent

People

French Guiana

Population:	199,509 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 28.9% (male 29,540/female 28,210) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 69,302/female 59,980) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 6,350/female 6,127) (2006 est.)
Median age:	total: 28.6 years male: 29.6 years female: 27.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:	1.96% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:	20.46 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:	4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:	4.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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 (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 11.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 77.27 years male: 73.95 years female: 80.75 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:	2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	NA
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%
Religions:	Roman Catholic
Languages:	French
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.)

Government

French Guiana

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
Government type:	NA
Capital:	Cayenne
Administrative divisions:	none (overseas department of France)
Independence:	none (overseas department of France)
National holiday:	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:	French legal system
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
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 Pierre DESERT (since 26 March 2004); 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
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 in March 2000 (next to be held March 2006); Regional Council - last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) 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 - (second election results) percent of vote by party - PS 37.24%, UMP 31.58%, FDG/Walwari 31.18%; seats by party - PS 17, UMP 7, FDG/Walwari 7 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 in 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:	Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Alix LABBE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Georges HABRAN-MERY]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Remi Louis DUBOC]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
Political pressure groups and leaders:	NA
International organization participation:	UPU, 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

French Guiana

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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):	$1.551 billion (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):	NA
GDP - real growth rate:	NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):	$8,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force:	58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture: 18.2% industry: 21.2% services: 60.6% (1980)
Unemployment rate:	19.2% (2001)
Population below poverty line:	NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	1% (2002 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $135.5 million expenditures: $135.5 million; including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
Agriculture - products:	corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Industries:	construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:	NA%
Electricity - production:	465.2 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source:	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:	432.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:	0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:	0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:	6,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:	NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:	NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:	0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:	0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:	$137.5 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:	shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners:	France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2004)
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 (2004)
Debt - external:	$800.3 million (1988)
Economic aid - recipient:	$NA
Currency (code):	euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code:	EUR
Exchange rates:	euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year:	calendar year

Communications

French Guiana

Telephones - main lines in use:	51,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular:	138,200 (2002)
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)
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Radios:	104,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:	3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:	30,000 (1997)
Internet country code:	.gf
Internet hosts:	107 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):	2 (2000)
Internet users:	38,000 (2005)

Transportation

French Guiana

Airports:	11 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways:	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways:	total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2005)
Roadways:	total: 817 km (1998)
Waterways:	3,760 km note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2003)
Ports and terminals:	Degrad des Cannes

Military

French Guiana

Military branches:	no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
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 expenditures - dollar figure:	NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:	NA
Military - note:	defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

French Guiana

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

History of French Guiana

Pre-colonial
French Guiana was originally inhabited by a number of Native American peoples, among them the Carib, Arawak, Emerillon, Galibi, Palikour, Wayampi (also known as Oyampi) and Wayana.

Beginnings of European involvement
In 1498 French Guiana was first visited by Europeans when Christopher Columbus sailed to the region and reportedly named it the "Land of pariahs". The early 1600's saw attempts by the French and Dutch settle in the area, though they faced difficulties in the face of Amerindian hostility and widespread tropical diseases. In 1643 the French managed to establish a settlement at Cayenne along with some small-scale plantations, however this was attacked by Amerindians. The French later re-established it in the 1660's, along with another settlement at Sinnamary (this was attacked by the Dutch in 1665).

In 1667 the British seized the area. Following the Treaty of Breda on 31st July 1667 the area was given back to France. The Dutch briefly occupied it for a period in 1676.

Consolidation of French rule
After the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which deprived France of almost all her possessions in the Americas other than Guiana and a few islands, Louis XV sent thousands of settlers to Guiana who were lured there with stories of plentiful gold and easy fortunes to be made. Instead they found a land filled with hostile natives and tropical diseases. One and a half years later only a few hundred survived. These fled to three small islands which could be seen off shore and named them the Iles de Salut (or "Islands of Salvation"). The largest was called Royal Island, another St. Joseph (after the patron saint of the expedition), and the smallest of the islands, surrounded by strong currents, Île du Diable (the infamous "Devil's Island"). When the survivors of this ill-fated expedition returned home, the terrible stories they told of the colony left a lasting impression in France.

In 1794, after the death of Robespierre, 193 of his followers were sent to French Guiana. In 1797 the republican general Pichegru and many deputies and journalists were also sent to the colony. When they arrived they found that only 54 of the 193 deportées sent out three years earlier were left; 11 had escaped, and the rest had died of tropical fevers and other diseases. Pichegru managed to escape to United States and then returned to France where he was eventually executed for plotting against Napoleon.

Later on, slaves were brought out from Africa and plantations were established along the more disease-free rivers. Exports of sugar, hardwood, Cayenne pepper and other spices brought a certain prosperity to the colony for the first time. Cayenne, the capital, was surrounded by plantations, some of which had several thousand slaves.

1800's and the penal era
In 1809 an Anglo-Portuguese naval squadron took French Guiana (ousting governor Victor Hugues) and gave it to the Portuguese in Brazil. However with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1814 the region was handed back to the French, though a Portuguese presence remained until 1817.

In 1848 France abolished slavery and the ex-slaves fled into the rainforest setting up communities similar to the ones they had been stolen from in Africa. Now called Maroons, they formed a sort of buffer zone between the Europeans who settled along the coast and main rivers, and the unconquered, and often hostile, Native American tribes of the inland regions. Without the availability of slave labour the plantations were soon taken over by the jungle, and the planters ruined.

In 1850 several shiploads of Indians, Malays and Chinese were brought out to work the plantations but, instead, they set up shops in Cayenne and other settlements.

In 1852 the first shiploads of chained convicts arrived from France. In 1885, to get rid of habitual criminals and to increase the number of colonists, the French Parliament passed a law that anyone, male or female, who had more than three sentences for theft of more than three months each, would be sent to French Guiana as a "relégué." These relégués were to be kept in prison there for six months but then freed to become settlers in the colony. However, this experiment was a dismal failure. The prisoners were unable to make a living off the land and so were forced to revert again to crime, or to eke out a hand-to-mouth existence until they died. In fact, being sent to French Guiana as a relégué was a life sentence, and usually a short life sentence, as most of the relégués died very quickly from disease and malnutrition. The prisoners would arrive at St-Laurent du Maroni before being transported to various camps throughout the country. The Iles du Salut were used to house political prisoners and for solitary confinement. The islands became notorious for the brutality of life there, centering around the notorious Devils Island. Famous political figures to be sent to the islands included Alfred Dreyfus and Henri Charrière, who managed escape. He later wrote a best-selling book about his experiences called Papillon.

In 1853 gold was discovered in the interior, precipitating border disputes with Brazil and Dutch Guiana (these were later settled in 1891, 1899 and 1915, though a small region of the border with Suriname is still disputed).

20th century
After the fall of France to Nazis in World War II the local government declared its allegiance to the Vichy government, despite widespread support for Charles de Gaulle. This government was later removed by the Allies in March 1943.

French Guiana became an overseas département of France on 19 March 1946.

The infamous penal colonies, including Devil's Island, were gradually phased out, being formally closed in 1951. At first, only those freed prisoners who could raise the fare for their return passage to France were able to go home, so French Guiana was haunted after the official closing of the prisons by numerous freed convicts leading an aimless existence in the colony.

Visitors to the site in December 1954 reported being deeply shocked by the conditions and the constant screams from the cell-block which had only tiny ventilation slots at the tops of the walls under the roof. Food was pushed in and bodies removed once a day.

In 1964 Kourou was chosen to be launch site for rockets, largely due to its favourable location near the equator. The Centre Spatial Guyanais was built and became operational in 1968. This has provided limited local employment, but the mainly imported technicians, and the hundreds of troops stationed in the region to prevent sabotage bring some much-needed cash into the local economy.

The 1970s saw the settlement of Hmong refugees from Laos in the county, primarilly to the towns of Javouhuy and Cacao. The Green Plan (Plan Vert) of 1976 aimed to improve production, though it had only limited success. A movement for increased autonomy from France gained momentum in the 70's and 80's, along with the increasing success of the Parti Socialiste Guyanais.

Protests by those calling for more autonomy from France have become increasingly vocal. Protests in 1996, 1997 and 2000 all ended in violence. While many Guianese wish to see more autonomy, support for complete independence is very low due to large economic support from France. Many are angry at the lack of oppurtunities and high unemployment figures.

Modern French Guiana is a land of idiosyncrasies, where European Space Agency satellite launches rattle the market gardens of displaced Hmong farmers from Laos and thinly populated rainforests swallow nearly all but the country's coastline.

Last update on 29 june 2006