Economic aid:
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.1 billion
Currency:
French franc (plural - francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.3801 (January 1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453
(1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:France Communications
Railroads:
French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,568 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge; 11,674 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 2,138 km
of various gauges (1.000-meter to 1.440-meter), privately owned and operated
Highways:
1,551,400 km total; 33,400 km national highway; 347,000 km departmental
highway; 421,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 5,401 km of
controlled-access divided autoroutes; about 803,000 km paved
Inland waterways:
14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled
Pipelines:
crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km; natural gas 24,746 km
Ports:
maritime - Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Fos-Sur-Mer, Le
Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen, Sete, Toulon; inland - 42
Merchant marine:
128 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,222,539 GRT/5,117,091 DWT; includes
6 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 18 container, 1 multifunction large-load
carrier, 30 roll-on/roll-off, 34 petroleum tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 6
liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 11 bulk, 1 refrigerated cargo; note -
France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the
Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia
Civil air:
195 major transport aircraft (1989 est.)
Airports:
472 total, 460 usable; 251 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways
over 3,659 m; 36 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 136 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
highly developed; extensive cable and radio relay networks; large-scale
introduction of optical-fiber systems; satellite systems for domestic
traffic; 39,200,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 41 AM, 800 (mostly
repeaters) FM, 846 (mostly repeaters) TV; 24 submarine coaxial cables; 2
INTELSAT earth stations (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for the Indian Ocean
INTELSAT and 3 for the Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT); HF radio communications
with more than 20 countries; INMARSAT service; EUTELSAT TV service
:France Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy (including Naval Air), Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 14,599,636; 12,225,969 fit for military service; 411,211 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $33.1 billion, 3.4% of GDP (1991)
:French Guiana Geography
Total area:
91,000 km2
Land area:
89,150 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
1,183 km; Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline:
378 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both
headwaters of the Lawa)
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Natural resources:
bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Land use:
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest
and woodland 82%; other 18%
Environment:
mostly an unsettled wilderness
:French Guiana People
Population:
127,505 (July 1992), growth rate 4.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
27 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
24 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
71 years male, 78 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - French Guianese (singular and plural); adjective - French Guianese;
note - they are a colony/department; they hold French passports
Ethnic divisions:
black or mulatto 66%; Caucasian 12%; East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%;
other 10%
Religions:
predominantly Roman Catholic
Languages:
French
Literacy:
82% (male 81%, female 83%) age 15 and over can read and write (1982)
Labor force:
23,265; services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%,
agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Organized labor:
7% of labor force
:French Guiana Government