226 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
226 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
FRENCH GUIANA
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(overseas department of France)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 91,000 km2; land area: 89,150 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
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Land boundaries: 1,183 km total; Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
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Coastline: 378 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and
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Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
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Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature
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variation
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Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small
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mountains
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Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered),
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cinnabar, kaolin, fish
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Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 82%; other 18%
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Environment: mostly an unsettled wilderness
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PEOPLE
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Population: 101,603 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--French Guianese (sing., pl.); adjective--French
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Guiana
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Ethnic divisions: black or mulatto 66%; Caucasian 12%; East Indian,
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Chinese, Amerindian 12%; other 10%
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Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic
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Language: French
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Literacy: 82% (male 81%, female 83%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1982)
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Labor force: 23,265; services, government, and commerce 60.6%,
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industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
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Organized labor: 7% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Department of Guiana
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Type: overseas department of France
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Capital: Cayenne
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Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
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Independence: none (overseas department of France)
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Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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Legal system: French legal system
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National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
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Executive branch: French president, commissioner of the republic
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Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral
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Regional Council
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Judicial branch: highest local court is the Court of Appeals
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based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and
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French Guiana
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May
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1981);
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Head of Government--Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Francois
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DI CHIARA (since NA 1990)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Gerard HOLDER;
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Rally for the Republic (RPR), Paulin BRUNE;
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Guyanese Democratic Action (ADG), Andre Lecante;
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Union for French Democracy (UDF), Claude Ho A CHUCK;
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National Front (FN), Guy MALON;
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Popular and National Party of Guiana (PNPG), Claude ROBO;
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National Anti-Colonist Guianese Party (PANGA), Michel KAPEL
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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Regional Council--last held 16 March 1986 (next to be
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held NA 1991);
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results--PSG 43%, RPR 27.7%, ADG 12.2%, UDF 8.9%, FN 3.7%,
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PNPG 1.4%, other 3.1%;
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seats--(31 total) PSG 15, RPR 9, ADG 4, UDF 3;
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French Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held
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September 1992);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(1 total) PSG 1;
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French National Assembly--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be
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held September 1992);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(2 total) PSG 1, RPR 1
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Communists: Communist party membership negligible
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Member of: FZ, WCL, WFTU
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Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France
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the interests of French Guiana are represented in the US by France
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Flag: the flag of France is used
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is tied closely to that of France through
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subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing
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and forestry are the most important economic activities, with exports
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of fish and fish products (mostly shrimp) accounting for more than 60%
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of total revenue in 1987. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not
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fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn
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logs for export. Cultivation of crops--rice, cassava, bananas, and
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sugarcane--are limited to the coastal area, where the population is
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largely concentrated. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports
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of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly
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among younger workers.
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GDP: $186 million, per capita $2,240; real growth rate NA% (1985)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1987)
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Unemployment rate: 15% (1987)
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Budget: revenues $735 million; expenditures $735 million, including
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capital expenditures of NA (1987)
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Exports: $54.0 million (f.o.b., 1987);
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commodities--shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence;
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partners--France 31%, US 22%, Japan 10% (1987)
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Imports: $394.0 million (c.i.f., 1987);
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commodities--food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods,
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producer goods, petroleum;
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partners--France 62%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, US 4%, FRG 3%
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(1987)
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External debt: $1.2 billion (1988)
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 92,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced,
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1,890 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products,
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rum, gold mining
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Agriculture: some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn,
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manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar; livestock--cattle, pigs, poultry
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-87), $1.25 billion
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Currency: French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100
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centimes
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Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991),
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5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261
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(1986), 8.9852 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 680 km total; 510 km paved, 170 km improved and
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unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and
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river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km possibly navigable by native craft
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Ports: Cayenne
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Civil air: no major transport aircraft
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Airports: 10 total, 10 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: fair open wire and radio relay system;
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18,100 telephones; stations--5 AM, 7 FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean
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INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
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Manpower availability: males 15-49 28,650; 18,903 fit for military
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service
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Note: defense is the responsibility of France
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