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1. CIA World Factbook 2002
French Guiana

   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
                                        water: 1,850 sq km
                                        land: 89,150 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: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
                                        territorial sea: 12 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), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
                              Land use: arable land: 0.11% NEGL
                                        permanent crops: 0.03%
                                        other: 99.85% (90% forest, 10%
                                        other) (1998 est.)
                        Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1998 est.)
                       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: 182,333 (July 2002 est.)
                         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.)
                Population growth rate: 2.57% (2002 est.)
                            Birth rate: 21.66 births/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                            Death rate: 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002
                                        est.)
                    Net migration rate: 8.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population
                                        (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.)
              Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.49 years
                                        female: 79.99 years (2002 est.)
                                        male: 73.16 years
                  Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
     HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
                                  AIDS:
                     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 short form: Guyane
                                        local long form: none
                     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: 28 September 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 Henri
                                        MASSE (since NA July 1999)
                                        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 NA March 2001); President of
                                        the Regional Council Antoine KARAM
                                        (since 22 March 1992)
                                        cabinet: NA
                    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 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 - NA
                       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 NA
                               leaders:
             International organization FZ, WCL, WFTU
                         participation:
   Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France)
     Diplomatic representation from the none (overseas department of France)
                                    US:
                      Flag description: the flag of France is used
  
   Economy French Guiana
   ---------------------
                    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.
                                   GDP: purchasing power parity - $1 billion
                                        (1998 est.)
                GDP - real growth rate: NA%
                      GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,000
                                        (1998 est.)
           GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
                                        industry: NA%
                                        services: NA%
         Population below poverty line: NA%
     Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
                      percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
      Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1992)
                           Labor force: 58,800 (1997)
           Labor force - by occupation: services, government, and commerce
                                        60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture
                                        18.2% (1980)
                     Unemployment rate: 21.4% (1998)
                                Budget: revenues: $225 million
                                        expenditures: $390 million,
                                        including capital expenditures of
                                        $105 million (1996)
                            Industries: construction, shrimp processing,
                                        forestry products, rum, gold mining
     Industrial production growth rate: NA%
              Electricity - production: 450 million kWh (2000)
    Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
                                        hydro: 0%
                                        other: 0% (2000)
                                        nuclear: 0%
             Electricity - consumption: 418.5 million kWh (2000)
                 Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
                 Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
                Agriculture - products: corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar,
                                        cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle,
                                        pigs, poultry
                               Exports: $155 million (f.o.b., 1997)
                 Exports - commodities: shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood
                                        essence, clothing
                    Exports - partners: France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2%
                                        (1997)
                               Imports: $625 million (c.i.f., 1997)
                 Imports - commodities: food (grains, processed meat),
                                        machinery and transport equipment,
                                        fuels and chemicals
                    Imports - partners: France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and
                                        Tobago 6% (1997)
                       Debt - external: $1.2 billion (1988)
              Economic aid - recipient: $NA
                              Currency: euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
                         Currency code: EUR; FRF
                        Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 1.1324
                                        (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001),
                                        1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French
                                        francs per US dollar - 5.8995
                                        (1998), 5.8367 (1997)
                           Fiscal year: calendar year
  
   Communications French Guiana
   ----------------------------
        Telephones - main lines in use: 47,000 (1997)
          Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
                      Telephone system: general assessment: NA
                                        domestic: fair open wire and
                                        microwave radio relay system
                                        international: 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 Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
                        Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
  
   Transportation French Guiana
   ----------------------------
                               Railways: 0 km
                               Highways: total: 1,817 km
                                         paved: 817 km
                                         unpaved: 1,000 km (1998)
                              Waterways: 3,300 km navigable by native craft
                                         note: 460 km navigable by small
                                         oceangoing vessels and coastal and
                                         river steamers
                      Ports and harbors: Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-
                                         Laurent du Maroni
                        Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
                               Airports: 11 (2001)
          Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
                                         over 3,047 m: 1
                                         914 to 1,523 m: 2
                                         under 914 m: 1 (2001)
        Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7
                                         914 to 1,523 m: 2
                                         under 914 m: 5 (2001)
  
   Military French Guiana
   ----------------------
                      Military branches: no regular indigenous military
                                         forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie
       Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 50,504 (2002 est.)
    Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 32,720 (2002 est.)
                                service:
          Military expenditures - dollar $NA
                                 figure:
      Military expenditures - percent of NA%
                                    GDP:
                        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)
                         Illicit drugs: small amount of marijuana grown for
                                        local consumption; minor
                                        transshipment point to Europe
  
                                       



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