French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas
dpartement of
France, located on the northern coast of
South America. Like the other DOMs, French Guiana is also a
rgion of France. As a part of France, French Guiana is in the
European Union, and its currency is the
euro
.
French Guiana is the smallest political entity on the South American mainland . It borders the
Atlantic Ocean to the north,
Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west.
Encyclopedia
French Guiana is an overseas
département of
France, located on the northern coast of
South America. Like the other DOMs, French Guiana is also a
région of France. As a part of France, French Guiana is in the
European Union, and its currency is the
euro.
French Guiana is the smallest political entity on the South American mainland . It borders the
Atlantic Ocean to the north,
Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west.
Politics
French Guiana, as part of France, is part of the
European Union, the largest part in area outside
Europe and the only significant part outside Europe that is not an island . The Head of State is the French President who appoints a Préfet as his/her representative. There are two legislative bodies: the 19-member General Council and the 34-member Regional Council, both elected. French Guiana has two seats at the National Assembly in
Paris. French Guiana has traditionally been conservative, though the socialist party has been increasingly successful in recent years. Though many would like to see more autonomy for the region, support for complete independence is very low.
A chronic issue affecting French Guiana is the influx of illegal immigrants and clandestine
gold prospectors from
Brazil and
Suriname. The border between the
département and Suriname is formed by the Maroni River, which flows through rainforest and is difficult for the
French Gendarmerie to patrol. The border line with Suriname is disputed.
Administrative divisions
Administratively, French Guiana is divided into arrondissements, cantons, and communes:
- Arrondissements of Guyane
- Cantons of Guyane
- Communes of Guyane
Geography
Though sharing cultural affinities with the
French-speaking territories of the
Caribbean, French Guiana cannot be considered to be part of that region, since the Caribbean Sea actually lies several hundred miles to the west, beyond the arch of the
Lesser Antilles.
French Guiana consists of two main geographical regions: a coastal strip where the majority of the people live, and dense, near-inaccessible
rainforest which gradually rises to the modest peaks of the Tumac-Humac mountains along the Brazilian frontier. French Guiana's highest peak is Bellevue de l'Inini . Other mountains include Mont Machalou , Pic Coudreau and Mont St Marcel , Mont Favard and Montagne du Mahury . Several small islands are found off the coast, the three Iles du Salut Salvation Islands which includes Devil's Island and the isolated Ile de Connetable bird sanctury further along the coast towards Brazil.
The Barrage de Petit-Saut hydroelectric dam in the north of French Guiana forms an artificial lake and provides
hydroelectricity. There are many rivers in French Guiana.
Economy
French Guiana is heavily dependent on
France for subsidies and goods. The main industries are fishing ,
gold mining and
timber. In addition, the
European Space Centre at
Kourou accounts for 25% of the GDP and employs about 1700 people. There is very little manufacturing and agriculture is largely undeveloped. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is growing. Unemployment is a major problem, running at about 20% to 30%.
Demographics
French Guiana's population of 199 500 , most of whom live along the coast, is very ethnically diverse. Estimates of the percentages of French Guiana ethnic composition vary, a problem compounded by the large numbers of legal and illegal immigrants .
Creoles are the largest ethnic group, though estimates vary as to the exact percentage, depending upon whether the large Haitian community is included as well. Generally the Creole population is judged at about 60% to 70% of the total population with Haitians and 30% to 50% without. Roughly 14% are Europeans, the vast majority of whom are
French.
The main Asian communities are the
Hmong from
Laos and Chinese . There are also smaller groups from various
Caribbean islands, mainly
Saint Lucia. The main groups living in the interior are the Maroons and
Amerindians.
The Maroons, descendents of escaped African slaves, live primarily along the Maroni River. The main Maroon groups are the Paramacca, Aucan and the Boni .
The main Amerindian groups are the Arawak, Emerillon, Galibi , Palikour, Wayampi and Wayana.
The predominant religion in the country is
Roman Catholicism, though the Maroons and some Amerindian peoples still practice their own religions. The Hmong people are also mainly Catholic owing to the influence of Catholic missionaries who helped bring them to French Guiana.
Notables
- Florent Malouda, French international football player.
- Henri Charriere, an escaped French convict, imprisoned in and around French Guiana from 1933 to 1945.
- Malia Metella, French swimmer, SC European Championships 2004: 1st 100m free.
Bibliography
- France's Overseas Frontier : Les Départements et territoires d'outre-mer Robert Aldrich and John Connell
- Dry guillotine: Fifteen years among the living dead René Belbenoit, 1938, Reprint: Berkley . ISBN 0-425-02950-6
- Hell on Trial René Belbenoit, 1940, Translated from the Original French Manuscript by Preston Rambo. E. P Dutton & Co. Reprint by Blue Ribbon Books, New York, 194 p. Reprint: Bantam Books, 1971
- Papillon Henri Charrière Reprints: Hart-Davis Macgibbon Ltd. 1970. ISBN 0-246-63987-3 ; Perennial, 2001. ISBN 0-06-093479-4
- Space in the Tropics: From Convicts to Rockets in French Guiana Peter Redfield
Notes
External links
General information- with information and many photos
- directory category
Other
