French Guiana (2003) | Tokelau (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats; fish |
Airports | 11 (2002) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
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Area | total: 91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | about 17 times the size of The Mall in 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. | Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. |
Birth rate | 21.33 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | NA |
Budget | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues: $430,800
expenditures: $2.8 million; including capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.) |
Capital | Cayenne | none; each atoll has its own administrative center
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November) |
Coastline | 378 km | 101 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 |
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: Tokelau |
Currency | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) | - |
Death rate | 4.8 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) | $0 |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self-governance, in February 2006, did not produce the two thirds majority vote necessary for changing the current political status |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | about $4 million annually from New Zealand |
Economy - overview | 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. | Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand. |
Electricity - consumption | 423.2 million kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - production | 455 million kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | Polynesian |
Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999) | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) |
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 of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006)
head of government: Kolouei O'BRIEN (2006); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku (village mayors), functions as a cabinet elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a one-year term |
Exports | NA (2001) | $0 f.o.b. (2002) |
Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | stamps, copra, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) | New Zealand (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | the flag of New Zealand is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.26 billion (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 9 00 S, 172 00 W |
Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent | consists of three atolls, each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three meters above sea level |
Highways | total: 722 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1996) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Illicit drugs | small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe | - |
Imports | NA (2001) | $969,200 c.i.f. (2002) |
Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | foodstuffs, building materials, fuel |
Imports - partners | France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002) | New Zealand (2004) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing |
Infant mortality rate | 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.) |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2002 est.) | NA% |
International organization participation | FZ, WCL, WFTU | PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 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) | Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau |
Labor force | 58,800 (1997) | 440 |
Labor force - by occupation | services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980) | - |
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: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | French | Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English |
Legal system | French legal system | New Zealand and local statutes |
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 |
unicameral General Fono (21 seats; based upon proportional representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; Nukunonu has 6 seats, Fakaofo has 7 seats, Atafu has 8 seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held January 2005 (next to be held January 2008) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.69 years
male: 73.36 years female: 80.18 years (2003 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 | Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | South America | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $66.72 million |
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 | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Nationality | noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese |
noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan |
Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | lies in Pacific typhoon belt |
Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | NA |
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] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 186,917 (July 2003 est.) | 1,392 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.4% (2003 est.) | -0.01% (2006 est.) |
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 NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: 1 radio station provides service to all islands (2002) |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2%
note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with the Congregational Christian Church predominant |
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: 1.12 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 21 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: modern satellite-based communications system;
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations |
Telephones - main lines in use | 47,000 (1997) | 300 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 0 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | - |
Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons |
Total fertility rate | 3.09 children born/woman (2003 est.) | NA |
Unemployment rate | 22% (2001) | 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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