French Guiana (2005) | Puerto Rico (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco |
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: 22.9% (male 454,908; female 434,555)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 1,212,764; female 1,322,356) 65 years and over: 11.9% (male 200,669; female 260,625) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens |
Airports | 11 (2004 est.) | 31 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
total: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 10 (2002) |
Area | total: 91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total: 9,104 sq km
land: 8,959 sq km water: 145 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island |
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. | Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917 and popularly elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998 voters chose to retain commonwealth status. |
Birth rate | 20.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues: $6.7 billion
expenditures: $9.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 99/00) |
Capital | Cayenne | San Juan |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 378 km | 501 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952 |
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 Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 4.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 7.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | commonwealth associated with the US |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (commonwealth associated with the US) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (commonwealth associated with the US) |
Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana | none |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $NA |
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. | Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001-02, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy. |
Electricity - consumption | 427.9 million kWh (2002) | 19.44 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 460.1 million kWh (2002) | 20.9 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 99.2%
hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% |
Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) | the US dollar is used |
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: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Sila M. CALDERON (since 2 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: Sila M. CALDERON (PPD) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.6% note: residents of Puerto Rico do not vote for US president and vice president |
Exports | NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) | US 88.2%, UK 1.5%, Dominican Republic 1.4% (2001) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $43.01 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 45% services: 54% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $11,100 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | -0.2% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 18 15 N, 66 30 W |
Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent | important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north |
Highways | total: 817 km (1998) | total: 14,400 km
paved: 14,400 km unpaved: 0 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 | - |
Imports | NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products |
Imports - partners | France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) | US 53.5%, Ireland 16.3%, Japan 4.5% (2001) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | none (commonwealth associated with the US) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism |
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: 9.38 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2002 est.) | 5% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU, WCL, WFTU | Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WToO (associate) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 76 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 est.) | 400 sq km (1998 est.) |
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; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate) |
Labor force | 58,800 (1997) | 1.3 million (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980) | agriculture 3%, industry 20%, services 77% (2000 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: 3.72%
permanent crops: 5.07% other: 91.21% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French | Spanish, English |
Legal system | French legal system | based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice |
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 Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPD 19, PNP 8, PIP 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPD 30, PNP 20, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - percent of vote by party - PPD 49.3%; seats by party - PPD 1; Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected resident commissioner |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 77.09 years
male: 73.77 years female: 80.58 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 77.26 years
male: 73.27 years female: 81.44 years (2003 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: 93.8% male: 93.7% female: 94% (2001) |
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic |
Map references | South America | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | registered in other countries: 3 | total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 19,203 GRT/20,904 DWT
ships by type: container 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Gendarmerie | no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952) |
Nationality | noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese |
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican |
Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | periodic droughts; hurricanes |
Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay | some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil |
Net migration rate | 5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | -1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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] | National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Luis FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Carlos PESQUERA]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Sila M. CALDERON]; Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN; Armed Forces of Popular Resistance; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution |
Population | 195,506 (July 2005 est.) | 3,885,877 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.1% (2005 est.) | 0.58% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Degrad des Cannes | Aguadilla, Arecibo, Fajardo, Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Mayaguez, Playa de Ponce, San Juan |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) | AM 72, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2002) |
Religions | Roman Catholic | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% |
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: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
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 system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US |
Telephones - main lines in use | 51,000 (2001) | 1.322 million (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 138,200 (2002) | 169,265 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | 18 (plus three stations of the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) (1997) |
Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | mostly mountains, with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas |
Total fertility rate | 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 2.02 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 22% (2001) | 12% (2002) |
Waterways | 3,760 km
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004) |
none |