French Guiana
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 therefore the
euro[French Guiana is pictured on all euro banknotes, on the backside at the bottom of each note, right of the Greek ΕΥΡΩ (EURO) next to the denomiation.].
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).
Main article: History of French Guiana
Since European settlement by the French in
1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements (see
Devil's Island) until
1951.
French Guiana was originally inhabited by a number of Native American peoples, among them the
Carib,
Arawak,
Emerillon,
Galibi,
Palikour,
Wayampi (also known as Oyampi) and
Wayana.In
1498 French Guiana was first visited by Europeans when
Christopher Columbus sailed to the region and reportedly named it the "Land of pariahs". The early 1600's saw attempts by the
French and
Dutch to settle in the area, though they faced difficulties in the face of Amerindian hostility and widespread tropical diseases. In
1643 the French managed to establish a settlement at
Cayenne along with some small-scale plantations, however this was attacked by Amerindians. The French later re-established it in the 1660's, along with another settlement at
Sinnamary (this was attacked by the Dutch in
1665).
In
1667 the
British seized the area. Following the
Treaty of Breda on 31st July
1667 the area was given back to France. The Dutch briefly occupied it for a period in
1676.
Main article: Politics of French Guiana
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 (other than the Spanish enclaves in Morocco,
Ceuta and
Melilla). The Head of State is the French President 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.)
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)See also:
*
French overseas departments and territories*
Administrative divisions of FranceMain article: Geography 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 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 (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.
Main article: Economy of French Guiana
French Guiana is heavily dependent on
France for subsidies and goods. The main industries are fishing (accounting for 3/4 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%-30%.
Main article: Demographics of French Guiana
French Guiana's population of 195,506 (July 2005 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).
Creoles (
blacks and 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%-70% of the total population with Haitians (comprising roughly one-third of Creoles) and 30%-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.
Florent Malouda -- French international football player
Henri Charriere -- Escaped French Convict, imprisoned in and around French Guiana from 1933 to 1945
*
Communications in French Guiana*
Inini*
Foreign relations of French Guiana*
Military of French Guiana*
Transportation in French Guiana*
Région Guyane (Scouting)
*
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 (1975). ISBN 0425029506
*
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, 1941. Reprint: Bantam Books, 1971
Papillon Henri Charrière Reprints: Hart-Davis Macgibbon Ltd. 1970. ISBN 0246639873 (hbk); Perennial, 2001. ISBN 0060934794 (sbk)
*
Space in the Tropics: From Convicts to Rockets in French Guiana Peter Redfield
General information*
Gabe's French Guiana with information and many photos
*
Open Directory Project - French Guiana directory category
*
US Consular Information SheetOther*
Ethnologue French Guiana page*
Kwata - French Guiana conservation group*
Silvolab Guyanae - scientific interest group in French Guiana*
Article on separatism in French Guiana*
About.com French Guiana travel site*
Status of Forests in French Guiana*
French Guiana photo gallery*
French Guiana image gallery*
Photo gallery*
French Guiana map
