LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY: French Guiana is located on the north coast of South America. It is bound by Suriname to the west, Brazil to the southeast and south as well as the Atlantic Ocean to the north. The country is a low lying along the coast with fertile rolling plains broken by occasional hills that rise to the central Chaine Granitique while in the south the land rises to the Sierra de Tumucumaque. Most of the country is unsettled wilderness and also contains dense tropical rain forest in the Amazon Basin while the coast has many rocky islets.The principal rivers are the Camopi, Inini, Ouaqui, Tampoc, Marowiny, Mana, Sinnamary, Comte and Approuague which flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Major Cities; Cayenne 41,200, Kourou 13,900 (1990). Land Use; forested 83%, pastures and agricultural-cultivated 0.2%, other 17.2% (1989).

CLIMATE: French Guiana has a tropical climate characterized by hot and humid conditions. There are two seasons, a wet season from December to June and a dry season from August to October. Average annual precipitation is more than 2,500 mm (100 inches) while average temperature ranges in Cayenne are from 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.

PEOPLE: Most of the population live along the coast. The French account for 46% of the population while AmerIndians and Black Africans account for 11% and Haitians account for 17%. The AmerIndians are predominantly of the Carib and Arawak tribes.

DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL STATISTICS: Density; 1.4 persons per sq km (3.6 persons per sq mi) (1991). Urban-Rural; 81.8% urban, 18.2% rural (1990). Sex Distribution; 52.1% male, 47.9% female (1991). Life Expectancy at Birth; 63.4 years male, 69.7 years female (1979). Age Breakdown; 34% under 15, 27% 15 to 29, 23% 30 to 44, 10% 45 to 59, 4% 60 to 74, 2% 75 and over (1991). Birth Rate; 31.0 per 1,000 (1990). Death Rate; 5.1 per 1,000 (1990). Increase Rate; 25.9 per 1,000 (1990). Infant Mortality Rate; 22.7 per 1,000 live births (1988).

MODERN HISTORY - WWII TO 1990: In 1946 French Guiana became an overseas department of France. Since then French Guiana has worked with the help of France to develop its economy and improve the living standards of its people. In the 1980's a strong movement for independence developed, but most of the citizens wanted French Guiana to remain an overseas department of France. In 1982 some greater autonomy was given to French Guiana which included decentralization legislation.

RELIGIONS: Mostly Christians with 87% of the population Roman Catholic while 4% are Protestant. Other religious minorities include Afro-American Spiritualists, Muslims and followers of local native tribal beliefs.

LANGUAGES: The official language is French, although a Creole Patois and AmerIndian languages are also widely spoken.

EDUCATION: Aged 25 or over and having attained: no formal schooling 20.8%, incomplete primary 40.4%, incomplete secondary 32.4%, secondary and higher 6.4% (1982). Literacy; literate population aged 16 or over 38,964 or 82.0% (1982).

CURRENCY: The official currency is the French Franc (F) divided into 100 Centimes.

TRANSPORT: Railroads; nil. Roads; length 1,137 km (706 mi) (1988). Vehicles; cars 27,010 (1987), trucks and buses 1,120 (1987). Merchant Marine; N/A. Air Transport; N/A.

COMMUNICATIONS: Daily Newspapers; total of 2 with a total circulation of 5,000 (1989). Radio; receivers 65,000 (1987). Television; receivers 6,500 (1990). Telephones; units 33,809 (1989).

Source: Atlapedia Online