French Guiana (2001) | Western Sahara (2007) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
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: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish |
Airports | 11 (2000 est.) | 9 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Area | total:
91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | about the size of Colorado |
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. | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. |
Birth rate | 22.02 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA |
Budget | revenues:
$225 million expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
Capital | Cayenne | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
Coastline | 378 km | 1,110 km |
Constitution | 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 |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
Currency | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) | - |
Death rate | 4.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none |
Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA |
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. | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006, the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. |
Electricity - consumption | 409.2 million kWh (1999) | 79.05 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 440 million kWh (1999) | 85 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | sparse water and lack of arable land |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | Arab, Berber |
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) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002) |
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 |
none |
Exports | $155 million (f.o.b., 1997) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | phosphates 62% |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | - |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 24 30 N, 13 00 W |
Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
Highways | total:
1,817 km paved: 817 km unpaved: 1,000 km (1998) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe | - |
Imports | $625 million (c.i.f., 1997) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
Infant mortality rate | 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (1992) | NA% |
International organization participation | FZ, WCL, WFTU | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
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) | 12,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980) | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
Land boundaries | total:
1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km |
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 90% other: 10% (1996 est.) |
arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
Languages | French | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
Legal system | 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 - 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 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population:
76.3 years male: 72.97 years female: 79.79 years (2001 est.) |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) |
NA |
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
Map references | South America | Africa |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | French Forces, Gendarmerie | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
49,495 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
32,052 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | - |
Nationality | noun:
French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese |
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish | phosphates, iron ore |
Net migration rate | 10.14 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] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 177,562 (July 2001 est.) | 382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.74% (2001 est.) | NA |
Ports and harbors | Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 104,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km (1995) | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Muslim |
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.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
Telephones - main lines in use | 47,000 (1997) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | NA |
Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
Total fertility rate | 3.17 children born/woman (2001 est.) | NA |
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 |
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