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 Match 84   DB Rec# - 7,536  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :French Guiana 
Text          : 
                                  French Guiana 
 
                                     Header 
 
Affiliation: 
    (overseas department of France) 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil 
    and Suriname 
Map references: 
    South America 
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: 
    high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding 
  international agreements: 
    NA 
Note: 
    mostly an unsettled wilderness 
 
                                     People 
 
Population: 
    145,270 (July 1995 est.) 
Age structure: 
  0-14 years: 
    32% (female 22,511; male 23,535) 
  15-64 years: 
    63% (female 41,995; male 50,064) 
  65 years and over: 
    5% (female 3,608; male 3,557) (July 1995 est.) 
Population growth rate: 
    4.13% (1995 est.) 
Birth rate: 
    25.23 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Death rate: 
    4.61 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Net migration rate: 
    20.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Infant mortality rate: 
    15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.) 
Life expectancy at birth: 
  total population: 
    75.52 years 
  male: 
    72.27 years 
  female: 
    78.94 years (1995 est.) 
Total fertility rate: 
    3.46 children born/woman (1995 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: 
    83% 
  male: 
    84% 
  female: 
    82% 
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: 
    French Guiana 
  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, FDG 10, RPR 2, independents 3 


  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 
 
                                   Government 
Member of: 
    FZ, WCL, WFTU 
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 sugarcane - 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 - purchasing power parity - $800 million (1993 est.) 
National product real growth rate: 
    NA% 
National product per capita: 
    $6,000 (1993 est.) 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 
    2.5% (1992) 
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: 
    180,000 kW 
  production: 
    450 million kWh 
  consumption per capita: 
    3,149 kWh (1993) 
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 
Illicit drugs: 
    small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption 
 
                                     Economy 
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 - 5.9243 (January 1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 
    (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990) 
Fiscal year: 
    calendar year 
 
                                 Transportation 
 
Railroads: 
  total: 
    22 km (est.) 
Highways: 
    1,137 km 
  paved: 
    455 km 
  unpaved: 
    improved, unimproved earth 682 km (1988) 
Inland waterways: 
    460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal 
    steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft 
Ports: 
    Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni 
Merchant marine: 
    none 


Airports: 
  total: 
    11 
  with paved runways over 3,047 m: 
    1 
  with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 
    2 
  with paved runways under 914 m: 
    5 
  with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 
    3 
 
                                 Communications 
 
Telephone system: 
    18,100 telephones; fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system 
  local: 
    NA 
  intercity: 
    open wire and microwave radio relay 
  international: 
    1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station 
Radio: 
  broadcast stations: 
    AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0 
  radios: 
    NA 
Television: 
  broadcast stations: 
    9 
  televisions: 
    NA 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Branches: 
    French Forces, Gendarmerie 
Manpower availability: 
    males age 15-49 41,986; males fit for military service 27,298 
Defense expenditures: 
    $NA, NA% of GDP 
Note: 
    defense is the responsibility of France 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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