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Background:
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First
settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the
site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The
European Space Agency launches its communication
satellites from Kourou. |
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Location:
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Northern
South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Brazil and Suriname |
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Geographic coordinates:
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4 00 N,
53 00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km
water: 1,850 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Indiana |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
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Coastline:
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378 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical;
hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation |
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Terrain:
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low-lying
coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite,
timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin,
fish, niobium, tantalum, clay |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0.14%
permanent crops: 0.05%
other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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high
frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms;
flooding |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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mostly an
unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion
of the South American continent |
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Population:
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195,506
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 29.3% (male 29,262/female 27,947)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 67,895/female 58,534)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 6,038/female 5,830)
(2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
28.45 years
male: 29.49 years
female: 27.31 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.1%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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20.7
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.85
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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5.11
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female
total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
12.07 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 77.09 years
male: 73.77 years
female: 80.58 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.01
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese |
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Ethnic groups:
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black or
mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
12%, other 10% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic |
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Languages:
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French
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83%
male: 84%
female: 82% (1982 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Department of Guiana
conventional short form: French Guiana
local long form: none
local short form: Guyane |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
department of France |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Cayenne
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Administrative divisions:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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Independence:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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National holiday:
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Bastille
Day, 14 July (1789) |
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Constitution:
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4 October
1958 (French Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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French
legal system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since
17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since
31 July 2002)
head of government: President of the General
Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001);
President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since
22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular
vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the
French president on the advice of the French Ministry of
Interior; presidents of the General and Regional
Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil
Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March
2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last
held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: General Council - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSG 5, various
left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional
Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various
left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%,
Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various
left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee
2
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate
on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National
Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA
2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of
Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in
Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique,
Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Guyanese
Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese
Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana
Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular
National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist
Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular
Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari
Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine
TAUBIRA-DELANON] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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UPU, WCL,
WFTU |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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Flag description:
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the flag
of France is used |
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Economy - overview:
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The
economy is tied closely to the much larger French
economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the
French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of
GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important
economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of
the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods,
not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill
industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation
of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the
population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are
the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on
imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious
problem, particularly among younger workers. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.551
billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA% |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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58,800
(1997) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government,
and commerce 60.6% (1980) |
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Unemployment rate:
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22%
(2001) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.5%
(2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital
expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn,
rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables,
bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry |
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Industries:
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construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum,
gold mining |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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460.1
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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427.9
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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6,500
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$155
million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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shrimp,
timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing |
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Exports - partners:
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France
62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$625
million c.i.f. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food
(grains, processed meat), machinery and transport
equipment, fuels and chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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France
63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.2
billion (1988) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency (code):
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euro
(EUR) |
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Currency code:
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EUR |
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Exchange rates:
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Euros per
US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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51,000
(2001) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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138,200
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio
relay system
international: country code - 594; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM
14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5
repeaters) (1998) |
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Radios:
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104,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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3 (plus
eight low-power repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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30,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.gf |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2000)
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Internet users:
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3,200
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
817 km (1998) |
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Waterways:
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3,760 km
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing
vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by
native craft (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Degrad
des Cannes |
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Merchant marine:
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registered in other countries: 3 |
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Airports:
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11 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no
regular military forces; Gendarmerie |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 47,809 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 38,676 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of France |
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Disputes - international:
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Suriname
claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini
(both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana |
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Illicit drugs:
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small
amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor
transshipment point to Europe |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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