1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 91,000 km2 land area: 89,150 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
378 km
Environment
mostly an unsettled wilderness
International disputes
Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Irrigated land
NA km2
Land boundaries
total 1,183 km, Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 82% other: 18%
Location
northern South America, bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean between Suriname and Brazil
Map references
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Terrain
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
People and Society
Birth rate
26.46 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
4.72 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
black or mulatto 66%, Caucasian 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Infant mortality rate
16.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
23,265 by occupation: services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Languages
French
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.87 years male: 71.59 years female: 78.32 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1982) total population: 82% male: 81% female: 83%
Nationality
noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese
Net migration rate
22.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
133,376 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
4.42% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic
Total fertility rate
3.54 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (overseas department of France)
Capital
Cayenne
Chief of State
President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
Constitution
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Digraph
FG
Diplomatic representation in US
as an overseas department of France, the interests of French Guiana are represented in the US by France
Executive branch
French president, commissioner of the republic
Flag
the flag of France is used
French National Assembly
last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held March 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) PSG 1, RPR 1
French Senate
last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) PSG 1
Head of Government
Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA 1992)
Independence
none (overseas department of France)
Judicial branch
Court of Appeals (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Legal system
French legal system
Legislative branch
unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council
Member of
FZ, WCL
Names
conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane
National holiday
National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Political parties and leaders
Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Gerard HOLDER; Rally for the Republic (RPR), Paulin BRUNE; Union of the Center Rally (URC); Union for French Democracy (UDF), Claude Ho A CHUCK; Guyana Democratic Front (FDG), Georges OTHILY
Regional Council
last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (31 total) PSG 16
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
overseas department of France
US diplomatic representation
none (overseas department of France)
Economy
Agriculture
some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar; livestock - cattle, pigs, poultry
Budget
revenues $735 million; expenditures $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987)
Currency
1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.51 billion
Electricity
92,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced, 1,450 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4812 (January 1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988)
Exports
$64.8 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence partners: France 36%, US 14%, Japan 6% (1990)
External debt
$1.2 billion (1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Imports
$435 million (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods, petroleum partners: France 62%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, US 4%, FRG 3% (1987)
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.1% (1987)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $421 million (1986)
National product per capita
$4,390 (1986)
National product real growth rate
NA%
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 1987. 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.
Unemployment rate
13% (1990)
Communications
Airports
total: 10 usable: 10 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1
Highways
680 km total; 510 km paved, 170 km improved and unimproved earth
Inland waterways
460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft
Ports
Cayenne
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
Military and Security
Branches
French Forces, Gendarmerie
Defense expenditures
$NA, NA% of GDP
Manpower availability
males 15-49 39,005; fit for military service 25,477 (1993 est.)
Note
defense is the responsibility of France