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French Guiana

1991 Edition — territory

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Communications
Airports [time series]
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
Civil air [time series]
no major transport aircraft
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
680 km total; 510 km paved, 170 km improved and unimproved earth
Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]
460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km possibly navigable by native craft
Ports [time series]
Cayenne
Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]
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
Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]
French Forces, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability [time series]
males 15-49 28,650; 18,903 fit for military service
Note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of France
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]
some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar; livestock--cattle, pigs, poultry
Budget [time series]
revenues $735 million; expenditures $735 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1987)
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Economic aid [time series]
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.25 billion
Electricity [time series]
92,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced, 1,890 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates [time series]
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)
Exports [time series]
$54.0 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence; partners--France 31%, US 22%, Japan 10% (1987)
Debt - external (External debt) [time series]
$1.2 billion (1988)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]
$186 million, per capita $2,240; real growth rate NA% (1985)
Imports [time series]
$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)
Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]
growth rate NA%
Industries [time series]
construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
4.1% (1987)
Economic overview (Overview) [time series]
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.
Unemployment rate [time series]
15% (1987)
Geography
Climate [time series]
tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline [time series]
378 km Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]
slightly smaller than Indiana
Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]
Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]
mostly an unsettled wilderness
Land boundaries [time series]
1,183 km total; Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use [time series]
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 82%; other 18%
Natural resources [time series]
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Terrain [time series]
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Area (Total area) [time series]
91,000 km2; land area: 89,150 km2
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
none (overseas department of France)
Capital [time series]
Cayenne
Political parties (Communists) [time series]
Communist party membership negligible
Constitution [time series]
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]
as an overseas department of France the interests of French Guiana are represented in the US by France
Executive branch [time series]
French president, commissioner of the republic
Flag [time series]
the flag of France is used
Independence [time series]
none (overseas department of France)
Judicial branch [time series]
highest local court is the Court of Appeals based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); Head of Government--Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Francois DI CHIARA (since NA 1990) 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
Legal system [time series]
French legal system
Legislative branch [time series]
unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council
Country name (Long-form name) [time series]
Department of Guiana
International organization participation (Member of) [time series]
FZ, WCL, WFTU
National holiday [time series]
Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Suffrage [time series]
universal at age 18 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
Government type (Type) [time series]
overseas department of France
People
Birth rate [time series]
28 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate [time series]
5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]
black or mulatto 66%; Caucasian 12%; East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%; other 10%
Infant mortality rate [time series]
18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force [time series]
23,265; services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Languages (Language) [time series]
French
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
69 years male, 76 years female (1991)
Literacy [time series]
82% (male 81%, female 83%) age 15 and over can read and write (1982)
Nationality [time series]
noun--French Guianese (sing., pl.); adjective--French Guiana
Net migration rate [time series]
10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor [time series]
7% of labor force
Population [time series]
101,603 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)
Religions (Religion) [time series]
predominantly Roman Catholic
Total fertility rate [time series]
3.7 children born/woman (1991)