Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island;
Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island;
territorial dispute between Suriname and French Guiana; territorial
claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Matthew and Hunter Islands east
of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of South
American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics

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@French Guiana

French Guiana Introduction

Background: 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.

French Guiana Geography

Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic
Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 53 00 W

Map references: South America

Area: total: 91,000 sq km

land: 89,150 sq km

water: 1,850 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: total: 1,183 km

border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

Coastline: 378 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m

Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered),
cinnabar, kaolin, fish

Land use: arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 90%

other: 10% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe
thunderstorms; flooding

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: mostly an unsettled wilderness

French Guiana People

Population: 177,562 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.47% (male 27,669; female 26,428)

15-64 years: 64.05% (male 61,457; female 52,266)

65 years and over: 5.48% (male 4,937; female 4,805) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.74% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 22.02 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.77 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 10.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/fem