FRENCH GUIANA                                                                   
(overseas department of France)                                                 
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 91,000 km2; land area: 89,150 km2                                   
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana                                 
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 1,183 km total; Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km                 
                                                                                
Coastline: 378 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
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 NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and                 
pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 82%; other 18%                              
                                                                                
Environment: mostly an unsettled wilderness                                     
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 101,603 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                         
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)                            
Nationality: noun--French Guianese (sing., pl.); adjective--French              
Guiana                                                                          
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: black or mulatto 66%; Caucasian 12%; East Indian,             
Chinese, Amerindian 12%; other 10%                                              
                                                                                
Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic                                          
                                                                                
Language: French                                                                
                                                                                
Literacy: 82% (male 81%, female 83%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1982)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 23,265; services, government, and commerce 60.6%,                  
industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)                                        
                                                                                
Organized labor: 7% of labor force                                              
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Department of Guiana                                            
                                                                                
Type: overseas department of France                                             
                                                                                
Capital: Cayenne                                                                
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)                  
                                                                                
Independence: none (overseas department of France)                              
                                                                                
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)                           
                                                                                
Legal system: French legal system                                               
                                                                                
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)                        
                                                                                
Executive branch: French president, commissioner of the republic                
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral                 
Regional Council                                                                
                                                                                
Judicial branch: highest local court is the Court of Appeals                    
based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and          
French Guiana                                                                   
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May                     
1981);                                                                          
                                                                                
Head of Government--Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Francois                  
DI CHIARA (since NA 1990)                                                       
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Gerard HOLDER;                                  
Rally for the Republic (RPR), Paulin BRUNE;                                     
Guyanese Democratic Action (ADG), Andre Lecante;                                
Union for French Democracy (UDF), Claude Ho A CHUCK;                            
National Front (FN), Guy MALON;                                                 
Popular and National Party of Guiana (PNPG), Claude ROBO;                       
National Anti-Colonist Guianese Party (PANGA), Michel KAPEL                     
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Regional Council--last held 16 March 1986 (next to be                           
held NA 1991);                                                                  
results--PSG 43%, RPR 27.7%, ADG 12.2%, UDF 8.9%, FN 3.7%,                      
PNPG 1.4%, other 3.1%;                                                          
seats--(31 total) PSG 15, RPR 9, ADG 4, UDF 3;                                  
                                                                                
French Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held                     
September 1992);                                                                
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(1 total) PSG 1;                                                         
                                                                                
French National Assembly--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be               
held September 1992);                                                           
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(2 total) PSG 1, RPR 1                                                   
                                                                                
Communists: Communist party membership negligible                               
                                                                                
Member of: FZ, WCL, WFTU                                                        
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France                  
the interests of French Guiana are represented in the US by 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 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--are 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.                                                          
                                                                                
GDP: $186 million, per capita $2,240; real growth rate NA% (1985)               
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1987)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 15% (1987)                                                   
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $735 million; expenditures $735 million, including             
capital expenditures of NA (1987)                                               
                                                                                
Exports: $54.0 million (f.o.b., 1987);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence;                             
                                                                                
partners--France 31%, US 22%, Japan 10% (1987)                                  
                                                                                
Imports: $394.0 million (c.i.f., 1987);                                         
commodities--food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods,               
producer goods, petroleum;                                                      
                                                                                
partners--France 62%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, US 4%, FRG 3%                     
(1987)                                                                          
                                                                                
External debt: $1.2 billion (1988)                                              
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA%                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 92,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced,                      
1,890 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
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: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral                 
commitments (1970-87), $1.25 billion                                            
                                                                                
Currency: French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100               
centimes                                                                        
                                                                                
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991),              
5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261              
(1986), 8.9852 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
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 possibly navigable by native craft         
                                                                                
Ports: Cayenne                                                                  
                                                                                
Civil air: no major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 10 total, 10 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways;                
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with            
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: fair open wire and radio relay system;                      
18,100 telephones; stations--5 AM, 7 FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean                 
INTELSAT earth station                                                          
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie                                            
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49 28,650; 18,903 fit for military              
service                                                                         
                                                                                
Note: defense is the responsibility of France                                   
                                                                                
