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French Guiana

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

          Not to be confused with Guyana.
          Not to be confused with French Guinea.

   Région Guyane

   Flag of Guyane Logo of Guyane
       (flag)      (Région logo)
   Location

   Map of France highlighting the Region of Guyane
   Administration
   Capital Cayenne
   Regional President Antoine Karam
   ( PSG) (since 1992)
   Départements Guyane
   Arrondissements 2
   Cantons 19
   Communes 22
   Statistics
   Land area^1 83,534 km²
   Population (Ranked 26th)
    - January 1, 2005 est. 191,000
    - March 8, 1999 est. 157,213
    - Density (2005) 2.3/km²
   ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers
   larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries
   of rivers
   France

   French Guiana (French: Guyane française, officially Guyane) is an
   overseas département ( département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France,
   located on the northern coast of South America. Like the other DOMs,
   French Guiana is also a région ( région d'outre-mer) 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 (Suriname is the smallest independent South American country).
   It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the east and
   south, and Suriname to the west. (Part of the border with Suriname is
   disputed.)

History

   First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of
   penal settlements until 1951.

Politics

   French Guiana, as part of France, is part of the European Union, the
   largest part in area outside Europe, with one of the longest E.U.
   external boundries and a part of the Union outside Europe that is not
   an island along with the Spanish enclaves in Africa, Ceuta and Melilla.
   The Head of State is the President of France, who appoints a Préfet
   (resident at the Prefecture building in Cayenne) 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 (French Guiana)
     * Cantons of Guyane (French Guiana)
     * Communes of Guyane (Cities of French Guiana)

Geography

   Map Of French Guiana

   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 arc 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 (851  m / 2,792  ft).
   Other mountains include Mont Machalou (782 m / 2,566 ft), Pic Coudreau
   (711 m / 2,333 ft) and Mont St Marcel (635 m / 2,083 ft), Mont Favard
   (200 m / 656 ft) and Montagne du Mahury (156 m / 512 ft). 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 (accounting for three-quarters of
   foreign exports), 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 200 000 (2006 est.), 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 (about
   20,000).

   Mulattos (People of mixed black and white ancestry) 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 (comprising roughly one-third of
   Creoles) 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 (1.5%) and Chinese
   (3.2%, primarily from Hong Kong and Zhejiang province). There are also
   smaller groups from various Caribbean islands, mainly Saint Lucia. The
   main groups living in the interior are the Maroons (also called Bush
   Negroes) and Amerindians.

   The Maroons, descendents of escaped African slaves, live primarily
   along the Maroni River. The main Maroon groups are the Paramacca, Aucan
   (both of whom also live in Suriname) and the Boni (Aluku).

   The main Amerindian groups (forming about 3%-4% of the population) are
   the Arawak, Emerillon, Galibi (now called the Kaliña), Palikour,
   Wayampi (also known as Oyampi) 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.

Notable People

     * 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.
     * Bernard Lama, former French international football player.
     * Cyrille Regis, former West Bromwich Albion and England player.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
