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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - French Guiana (2004)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z French Guiana (2004)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)French Guiana (2004)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryFrench Guiana
Administrative divisions - none (overseas department of France)
Age structure - 0-14 years: 29.6% (male 28,959; female 27,657)


15-64 years: 64.5% (male 66,388; female 57,020)


65 years and over: 5.9% (male 5,736; female 5,549) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products - corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports 1 (2001) 11 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Area total: 60 sq km


land: 60 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
total: 91,000 sq km


land: 89,150 sq km


water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Indiana
Background Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. 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.
Birth rate - 21 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget - revenues: $225 million


expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
Capital - Cayenne
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 698 km 378 km
Constitution - 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
conventional long form: Department of Guiana


conventional short form: French Guiana


local long form: none


local short form: Guyane
Currency - euro (EUR)
Death rate - 4.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external - $1.2 billion (1988)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London overseas department of France
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) none (overseas department of France)
Disputes - international Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Economic aid - recipient - NA (1995)
Economy - overview All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The economy is tied closely to the larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), 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.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 423.2 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military 455 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Environment - current issues NA NA
Ethnic groups - black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Exchange rates - Euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002)


head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992)


cabinet: NA


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
Exports - NA (2001)
Exports - commodities - shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners - France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001)
Fiscal year - calendar year
Flag description white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag the flag of France is used
GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.551 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: NA (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - NA
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E 4 00 N, 53 00 W
Geography - note archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent
Highways total: NA km


paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia


unpaved: NA km
total: 722 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs - small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
Imports - NA (2001)
Imports - commodities - food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners - France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.)
Independence - none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate - NA
Industries - construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Infant mortality rate - total: 12.46 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 1.5% (2002 est.)
International organization participation - UPU, WCL, WFTU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) 20 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Labor force - 58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,183 km


border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use arable land: NEGL


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land: 0.14%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001)
Languages - French
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply French legal system
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 - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 76.89 years


male: 73.57 years


female: 80.38 years (2004 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 84%


female: 82% (1982 est.)
Location Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Map references Political Map of the World South America
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches - no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure - NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 52,294 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 33,914 (2004 est.)
National holiday - Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality - noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)


adjective: French Guianese
Natural hazards NA high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay
Net migration rate - 6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population no indigenous inhabitants


note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
191,309 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line - NA
Population growth rate - 2.25% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Diego Garcia Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Radios NA -
Religions - Roman Catholic
Sex ratio - at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female


total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available


domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet


international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
general assessment: NA


domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system


international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 51,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 138,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Total fertility rate - 3.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate - 22% (2001)
Waterways none 3,760 km


note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)
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