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Compare French Guiana (2005) - Bahamas, The (2006)

Compare French Guiana (2005) z Bahamas, The (2006)

 French Guiana (2005)Bahamas, The (2006)
 French GuianaBahamas, The
Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France) 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay
Age structure 0-14 years: 29.3% (male 29,262/female 27,947)


15-64 years: 64.7% (male 67,895/female 58,534)


65 years and over: 6.1% (male 6,038/female 5,830) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733)


15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074)


65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry citrus, vegetables; poultry
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 64 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 29


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 14


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
total: 35


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Area total: 91,000 sq km


land: 89,150 sq km


water: 1,850 sq km
total: 13,940 sq km


land: 10,070 sq km


water: 3,870 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Indiana slightly smaller than Connecticut
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. Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.
Birth rate 20.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 17.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $225 million


expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
revenues: $1.03 billion


expenditures: $1.03 billion; including capital expenditures of $130 million (FY04/05)
Capital Cayenne name: Nassau


geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
Climate tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Coastline 378 km 3,542 km
Constitution 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) 10 July 1973
Country name conventional long form: Department of Guiana


conventional short form: French Guiana


local long form: none


local short form: Guyane
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas


conventional short form: The Bahamas
Death rate 4.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (1988) $342.6 million (2004 est.)
Dependency status overseas department of France -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD


embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau


mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370


telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)


FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: vacant


chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Disputes - international Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability
Economic aid - recipient NA $5 million (2004)
Economy - overview The economy is tied closely to the much 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. The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. The current government has presided over a period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private sector investments in tourism. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors.
Electricity - consumption 427.9 million kWh (2002) 1.683 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 460.1 million kWh (2002) 1.81 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Environment - current issues NA coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


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 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Exchange rates Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (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 Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Exports NA transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003)
Exports - commodities shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables
Exports - partners France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) US 31%, Spain 29.7%, Poland 9.3%, Germany 5.6%, Guatemala 4.1% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 July - 30 June
Flag description the flag of France is used three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 3%


industry: 7%


services: 90% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate NA% 3.7% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 4 00 N, 53 00 W 24 15 N, 76 00 W
Geography - note mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited
Heliports - 1 (2006)
Highways total: 817 km (1998) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: 27%
Illicit drugs small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center
Imports NA NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals
Imports - partners France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) US 22.5%, South Korea 20.2%, Spain 7.8%, Brazil 7.1%, Italy 6.5%, Germany 5.4% (2005)
Independence none (overseas department of France) 10 July 1973 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
Infant mortality rate total: 12.07 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.5% (2002 est.) 1.2% ( 2004)
International organization participation UPU, WCL, WFTU ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1998 est.) 10 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; magistrates courts
Labor force 58,800 (1997) 176,300 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980) agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,183 km


border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 0.14%


permanent crops: 0.05%


other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001)
arable land: 0.58%


permanent crops: 0.29%


other: 99.13% (2005)
Languages French English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
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 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 (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the Parliament and call elections at any time


elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.09 years


male: 73.77 years


female: 80.58 years (2005 est.)
total population: 65.6 years


male: 62.24 years


female: 69.03 years (2006 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: 95.6%


male: 94.7%


female: 96.5% (2003 est.)
Location Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Map references South America Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine registered in other countries: 3 total: 1,177 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,743,270 GRT/50,918,747 DWT


by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 253, cargo 250, chemical tanker 64, container 79, liquefied gas 35, livestock carrier 2, passenger 115, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 175, refrigerated cargo 114, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 30


foreign-owned: 1,093 (Angola 5, Australia 2, Belgium 13, Canada 18, China 3, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 59, Estonia 1, Finland 8, France 37, Germany 22, Greece 232, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, India 1, Indonesia 4, Ireland 2, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 51, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 17, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24, Nigeria 2, Norway 259, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 12, Singapore 12, Slovenia 1, Spain 12, Sweden 6, Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, Turkey 8, UAE 16, UK 69, Uruguay 2, US 121, Venezuela 1)


registered in other countries: 4 (Barbados 1, Liberia 1, Panama 2) (2006)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France -
Military branches no regular military forces; Gendarmerie Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Marines, Air Wing (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA NA
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Independence Day, 10 July (1973)
Nationality noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)


adjective: French Guianese
noun: Bahamian(s)


adjective: Bahamian
Natural hazards high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage
Natural resources bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Net migration rate 5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 195,506 (July 2005 est.) 303,770


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 9.3% (2004)
Population growth rate 2.1% (2005 est.) 0.64% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Degrad des Cannes -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female


total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


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


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 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: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: modern facilities


domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed


international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 2 (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2001) 139,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular 138,200 (2002) 186,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) 2 (2006)
Terrain low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Total fertility rate 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.) 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 22% (2001) 10.2% (2005 est.)
Waterways 3,760 km


note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)
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