Paracel Islands (2006) | French Guiana (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 29.6% (male 28,959; female 27,657)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 66,388; female 57,020) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 5,736; female 5,549) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 11 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: NA sq km
land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
Area - comparative | NA | slightly smaller than Indiana |
Background | The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. | 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. |
Birth rate | - | 21 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
Capital | - | Cayenne |
Climate | tropical | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 518 km | 378 km |
Constitution | - | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands |
conventional long form: Department of Guiana
conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane |
Currency | - | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | - | 4.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $1.2 billion (1988) |
Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) |
Economic aid - recipient | - | NA (1995) |
Economy - overview | China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 423.2 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 455 million kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% |
Exchange rates | - | Euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
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 |
Exports | - | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | - | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing |
Exports - partners | - | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | - | the flag of France is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $1.551 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 16 30 N, 112 00 E | 4 00 N, 53 00 W |
Geography - note | composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group | mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent |
Highways | - | total: 722 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | - | small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe |
Imports | - | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | - | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals |
Imports - partners | - | France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) |
Independence | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA |
Industries | - | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 12.46 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 1.5% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | - | UPU, WCL, WFTU |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | 20 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) |
Labor force | - | 58,800 (1997) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 0.14%
permanent crops: 0.05% other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001) |
Languages | - | French |
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 - 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 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 76.89 years
male: 73.57 years female: 80.38 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname |
Map references | Southeast Asia | South America |
Maritime claims | NA | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | occupied by China | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Gendarmerie |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 52,294 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 33,914 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | - | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese |
Natural hazards | typhoons | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding |
Natural resources | none | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay |
Net migration rate | - | 6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons |
191,309 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA |
Population growth rate | - | 2.25% (2004 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) |
Religions | - | Roman Catholic |
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: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 51,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 138,200 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly low and flat | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains |
Total fertility rate | - | 3.05 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 22% (2001) |
Waterways | - | 3,760 km
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004) |