French Guiana (2002) | Antigua and Barbuda (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 28,140; female 26,876)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 63,183; female 53,902) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,192; female 5,040) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years:
27.97% (male 9,527; female 9,203) 15-64 years: 67.15% (male 22,450; female 22,519) 65 years and over: 4.88% (male 1,360; female 1,911) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock |
Airports | 11 (2001) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total:
442 sq km (Antigua 281 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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 islands of Antigua and Barbuda became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Some 3,000 refugees fleeing a volcanic eruption on nearby Montserrat have settled in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995. |
Birth rate | 21.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 19.5 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) (1996) |
revenues:
$122.6 million expenditures: $141.2 million, including capital expenditures of $17.3 million (1997 est.) |
Capital | Cayenne | Saint John's |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 378 km | 153 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 1 November 1981 |
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: Antigua and Barbuda |
Currency | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
Death rate | 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 5.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) (1988) | $357 million (1998) |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami |
Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $2.3 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | The economy is tied closely to the French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, 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. | Tourism continues to be the dominant activity in the economy accounting directly or indirectly for more than half of GDP. The budding offshore financial sector has been seriously hurt by financial sanctions imposed by the US and UK as a result of the loosening of its money-laundering controls. The government has made efforts to comply with international demands in order to get the sanctions lifted. Antigua and Barbuda was listed as a tax haven by the OECD in 2000. The dual island nation's agricultural production is mainly directed to the domestic market; the sector is constrained by the limited water supply and labor shortages that reflect the pull of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for about one-third of all tourist arrivals. |
Electricity - consumption | 418.5 million kWh (2000) | 88.4 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 450 million kWh (2000) | 95 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian |
Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
Executive branch | 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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; prime minister appointed by the governor general |
Exports | $155 million f.o.b. (1997) | $38 million (1998) |
Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997) | OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3% |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $533 million (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
4% industry: 12.5% services: 83.5% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $8,200 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 4.6% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 17 03 N, 61 48 W |
Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent | - |
Highways | total: 1,817 km
paved: 817 km unpaved: 1,000 km (1998) |
total:
1,165 km paved: 384 km unpaved: 781 km (1999 est.) |
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 | considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as a drug-money-laundering center |
Imports | $625 million c.i.f. (1997) | $330 million (1998) |
Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil |
Imports - partners | France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997) | US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3% |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 1 November 1981 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 6% (1997 est.) |
Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) |
Infant mortality rate | 13.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 22.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (1992) (1992) | 1.6% (1999 est.) |
International organization participation | FZ, WCL, WFTU | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | 16 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 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) | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) |
Labor force | 58,800 (1997) (1997) | 30,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | services, government, and commerce 61%, industry 21%, agriculture 18% (1980) | commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983) |
Land boundaries | total: 1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.11% NEGL
permanent crops: 0.03% other: 99.86% (90% forest, 10% other) (1998 est.) |
arable land:
18% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 11% other: 62% (1993 est.) |
Languages | French | English (official), local dialects |
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 - 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 |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.49 years
male: 73.16 years female: 79.99 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
70.74 years male: 68.45 years female: 73.14 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 has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1960 est.) |
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | South America | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total:
681 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,070,390 GRT/5,289,904 DWT ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 424, chemical tanker 10, combination bulk 4, container 176, liquefied gas 4, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 29 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Germany 4, Slovenia 2 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie | Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes Coast Guard) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | NA% |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 50,504 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 32,720 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day, 1 November (1981) |
Nationality | noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese |
noun:
Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts |
Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish | NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism |
Net migration rate | 8.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE]; Socialist Party or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE]; Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] | Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] |
Population | 182,333 (July 2002 est.) | 66,970 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.57% (2002 est.) | 0.74% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni | Saint John's |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) | AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 104,000 (1997) | 36,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total:
77 km narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane) |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Anglican (predominant), other Protestant, some Roman Catholic |
Sex ratio | 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: 1.13 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 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:
NA domestic: good automatic telephone system international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe |
Telephones - main lines in use | 47,000 (1997) | 28,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 1,300 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas |
Total fertility rate | 3.13 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 2.31 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 21.4% (1998) (1998) | 7% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | 3,300 km navigable by native craft
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers |
none |