French Guiana (2001) | Papua New Guinea (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
30.47% (male 27,669; female 26,428) 15-64 years: 64.05% (male 61,457; female 52,266) 65 years and over: 5.48% (male 4,937; female 4,805) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
38.7% (male 993,248; female 960,647) 15-64 years: 57.63% (male 1,507,064; female 1,402,666) 65 years and over: 3.67% (male 87,779; female 97,651) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables; poultry, pork |
Airports | 11 (2000 est.) | 492 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total:
20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total:
472 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 57 under 914 m: 402 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total:
462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | slightly larger than California |
Background | 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. | The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997, after claiming some 20,000 lives. |
Birth rate | 22.02 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 32.15 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$225 million expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues:
$1.6 billion expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
Capital | Cayenne | Port Moresby |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 378 km | 5,152 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 16 September 1975 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane |
conventional long form:
Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG |
Currency | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) | kina (PGK) |
Death rate | 4.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 7.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) | $2.9 billion (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Arma Jane KARAER embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby mailing address: P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Susan JACOBS chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679 |
Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $400 million (1999 est.) |
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. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry which 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. | Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for 72% of export earnings. The 3.4% average annual growth rate of GDP during 1979-1998 conceals considerable year-to-year variation resulting from external economic shocks, natural disasters, and economic management problems. There has been little growth in the last half of the 1990s, with real GDP in 1999 barely 3% higher than in 1994, not enough to compensate for population growth. A new administration under the leadership of Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA in July 1999 has promised to restore integrity to state institutions, to stabilize the kina, to restore stability to the national budget, to privatize public enterprises where appropriate, and to ensure ongoing peace on Bougainville. The government has had considerable success in attracting international support, specifically gaining the support of the IMF and the World Bank in securing development assistance loans. Significant challenges remain for MORAUTA, however, including gaining further investor confidence, specifically for the proposed Papua New Guinea-Australia oil pipeline, continuing efforts to privatize government assets, and in maintaining the support from members of Parliament who after 15 July 2001 can dismiss him with a vote of no-confidence. |
Electricity - consumption | 409.2 million kWh (1999) | 1.693 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 440 million kWh (1999) | 1.82 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
54.95% hydro: 45.05% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian |
Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) | kina per US dollar - 2.81 (October 2000), 2.696 (2000), 2.539 (1999), 2.058 (1998), 1.434 (1997), 1.318 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since NA January 1997) head of government: President of the General Council Andre LECANTE (since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Silas ATOPARE (since 13 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA (since NA August 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael OGIO (since 3 November 2000) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the National Executive Council; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general for up to five years on the basis of majority support in National Parliament |
Exports | $155 million (f.o.b., 1997) | $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997) | Australia 30%, Japan 12%, Germany 7%, South Korea 4%, Philippines 3%, UK 3% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $12.2 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
30% industry: 35% services: 35% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 2.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 6 00 S, 147 00 E |
Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness | shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast |
Heliports | - | 2 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total:
1,817 km paved: 817 km unpaved: 1,000 km (1998) |
total:
19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996) |
Illicit drugs | small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe | - |
Imports | $625 million (c.i.f., 1997) | $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997) | Australia 53%, Singapore 13%, Japan 6%, US 4%, New Zealand 4%, Malaysia 4% (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 58.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (1992) | 17% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | FZ, WCL, WFTU | ACP, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | 3 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission) |
Labor force | 58,800 (1997) | 1.941 million |
Labor force - by occupation | services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980) | agriculture 85%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | total:
1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km |
total:
820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 90% other: 10% (1996 est.) |
arable land:
0.1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 92.9% other: 6% (1993 est.) |
Languages | French | English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages |
Legal system | French legal system | based on English common law |
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 - NA; 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 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, PSG 1 |
unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14-28 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP 15%, Pangu Pati 14%, NA 14%, PDM 8%, PNC 6%, PAP 5%, UP 3%, NP 1%, PUP 1%, independents 33%; seats by party - PPP 16, Pangu Pati 15, NA 15, PDM 9, PNC 7, PAP 5, UP 3, NP 1, PUP 1, independents 37; note - association with political parties is very fluid |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
76.3 years male: 72.97 years female: 79.79 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
63.46 years male: 61.39 years female: 65.64 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 72.2% male: 81% female: 62.7% (1995 est.) |
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname | Southeastern Asia, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia |
Map references | South America | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total:
20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,361 GRT/51,096 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | French Forces, Gendarmerie | Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, and Special Forces Unit) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $42 million (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 1% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
49,495 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
1,306,159 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
32,052 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
723,012 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day, 16 September (1975) |
Nationality | noun:
French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese |
noun:
Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean |
Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis |
Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish | gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries |
Net migration rate | 10.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Guianese Socialist Party or PSG [Antoine KARAM]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE]; Socialist Party or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE] (may be a subset of PSG); Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] | National Alliance or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party or NP [Michael MEL]; Papua New Guinea United Party or Pangu Pati [Chris HAIVETA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Ted DIRO]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Simon KAUMI]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Michael NALI]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Alfred KAIABE]; United Party or UP [Rimbiuk PATO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 177,562 (July 2001 est.) | 5,049,055 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 37% |
Population growth rate | 2.74% (2001 est.) | 2.43% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni | Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) | AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) |
Radios | 104,000 (1997) | 410,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km (1995) | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%, indigenous beliefs 34% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service |
Telephones - main lines in use | 47,000 (1997) | 47,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 3,053 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | 3 (1997) |
Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills |
Total fertility rate | 3.17 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 21.4% (1998) | NA% |
Waterways | 3,300 km navigable by native craft
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers |
10,940 km |