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Compare European Union (2004) - French Guiana (2003)

Compare European Union (2004) z French Guiana (2003)

 European Union (2004)French Guiana (2003)
 European UnionFrench Guiana
Administrative divisions - none (overseas department of France)
Age structure 0-14 years: 16.3%


15-64 years: 67.2%


65 years and over: 16.6% (July 2004 est.)
0-14 years: 29.9% (male 28,565; female 27,280)


15-64 years: 64.4% (male 64,836; female 55,498)


65 years and over: 5.7% (male 5,455; female 5,283) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes, dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, fish corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports total: 3,130


with paved runways: 1,834


with unpaved runways: 1,296 (2003)
11 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
Area total: 3,976,372 sq km total: 91,000 sq km


land: 89,150 sq km


water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative less than one-half the size of the US slightly smaller than Indiana
Background Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all of Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined to the EU, raising the membership total to 15.

A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except Great Britain, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gives member states two years to ratify the document before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006.

Despite the expansion of membership and functions, "Eurosceptics" in various countries have raised questions about the erosion of national cultures and the imposition of a flood of regulations from the EU capital in Brussels. Failure by member states to ratify the constitution or the inability of newcomer countries to meet euro currency standards might force a loosening of some EU agreements and perhaps lead to several levels of EU participation. These "tiers" might eventually range from an "inner" core of politically integrated countries to a looser "outer" economic association of members.
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 10.2 births/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) 21.33 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget - revenues: $225 million


expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
Capital Brussels, Belgium Cayenne
Climate cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 65,413.9 km 378 km
Constitution based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastrict) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gives member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it is scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name - conventional long form: Department of Guiana


conventional short form: French Guiana


local long form: none


local short form: Guyane
Currency euro; pound (Cyprus), koruna (Czech Republic), krone (Denmark), kroon (Estonia), forint (Hungary), lat (Latvia), litas (Lithuania), lira (Malta), zloty (Poland), koruna (Slovakia), tolar (Slovenia), krona (Sweden), pound (UK) euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
Death rate 10 deaths/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) 4.8 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $NA $1.2 billion (1988)
Dependency status - overseas department of France
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Rockwell SCHNABEL


embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat (Rue Zinner), B-1000 Brussels


mailing address: same as above


telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222


FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON


chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500


FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
none (overseas department of France)
Disputes - international - Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Economic aid - donor $NA -
Economic aid - recipient - $NA
Economy - overview Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income (from $10,000 to $28,000) and historic national animosities, the European Community faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, both Germany and France since 2003 have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central and eastern European countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the existing 15. The Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), an associated organization, introduced the euro as the common currency on 1 January 1999. The UK, Sweden, and Denmark do not now participate; the 10 new countries may choose to join the EMU when they meet its fiscal and monetary criteria and the member states so agree. 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 2.635 trillion kWh (2001) 423.2 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 234.8 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 245.7 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 2.822 trillion kWh (2001) 455 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m


highest point: Mount Blanc, France/Italy 4,807 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Environment - current issues NA NA
Environment - international agreements Hazardous Wastes, Biodiversity, Air Pollution, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94, Ozone Layer Protection, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Law of the Sea, Desertification, Climate Change; has signed, but not yet ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants -
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) Euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)
Executive branch chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)


cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas)


elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments; the president-designate then chooses the other Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004 (next to be held 2009)


election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449-149 with 82 abstentions


note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines
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 6.429 million bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages. shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners NA France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001)
Fiscal year NA calendar year
Flag description on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed the flag of France is used
GDP purchasing power parity - $11.05 trillion (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $2.26 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.3%


industry: 28.3%


services: 69.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,700 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2004 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates - 4 00 N, 53 00 W
Geography - note - mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent
Heliports 94 (2003) -
Highways total: 4,634,810 km (including 56,704 km of expressways)


paved: 4,161,318 km


unpaved: 473,492 km (1999-2000)
total: 722 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 25.2% (1995 est.)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
Imports 16.97 million bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners NA France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002)
Independence 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force) none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate 0.8% (2004 est.) NA%
Industries among the world's largest and most technologically advanced industries, including iron and steel, aluminum, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aircraft, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools, electronics, telecommunications equipment, fishing, food processing, furniture, paper, textiles and clothing, tourism construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Infant mortality rate total: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (July 2004 est.) total: 12.84 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2004 est.) 1.5% (2002 est.)
International organization participation European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member), EBRD, IDA, OAS (observer), OECD, WTO


European Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, G-10, NSG (observer), UN (observer)


European Central Bank: BIS


European Investment Bank: WADB (nonregional member)
FZ, WCL, WFTU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 2 (2000)
Irrigated land 115,807 sq km 20 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch European Court of Justice (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 Justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for a six-year term Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Labor force 211.1 million 58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 4.3%, industry 29%, services 66.8% (2000) services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Land boundaries total: 11,214.8 km


border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km


note: data for European Continent only
total: 1,183 km


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


permanent crops: NA
arable land: 0.11% NEGL


permanent crops: 0.03%


other: 99.86% (90% forest, 10% other) (1998 est.)
Languages Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed French
Legal system - French legal system
Legislative branch Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term


elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28
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: 78.1 years


male: 74.9 years


female: 81.4 years (July 2004 est.)
total population: 76.69 years


male: 73.36 years


female: 80.18 years (2003 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 84%


female: 82% (1982 est.)
Location Europe between Eastern Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Map references Europe South America
Maritime claims NA exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military - note In October 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "constitutional treaty" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade and the Multinational Command Support Brigade and will command EUFOR, which will take over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - committments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. As of November 2004, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France had proposed creation of three 1,500-man rapid-reaction "battle groups." defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches - no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA%
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 51,444 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 33,345 (2003 est.)
National holiday Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert Schuman proposed the creation of an organized Europe Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality - noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)


adjective: French Guianese
Natural hazards flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Natural resources iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Net migration rate 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (July 2004 est.) 7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI] 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 leaders - NA
Population 456,285,839 (July 2004 est.) 186,917 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate 0.17% (July 2004 est.) 2.4% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples (Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia) Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni
Radio broadcast stations AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio) AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Railways total: 222,293 km


broad gauge: 28,438 km


standard gauge: 186,405 km


narrow gauge: 7,427 km


other: 23 km (2003)
0 km
Religions Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish Roman Catholic
Sex ratio at birth: NA


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (July 2004 est.)
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: 1.12 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system note - see individual country entries of member states general assessment: NA


domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 238,763,162 (2002) 47,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 314,644,700 (2002) NA
Television broadcast stations 2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of indiviual country television broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision) 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Total fertility rate 1.48 children born/woman (July 2004 est.) 3.09 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.1% (2004 est.) 22% (2001)
Waterways 53,512 km 3,300 km navigable by native craft


note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers
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