claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Saint Pierre and
Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and
France; in 1992 an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive
economic zone area of 12,348 sq km to settle the dispute; claims
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of South American
cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin
______________________________________________________________________

FRENCH GUIANA

(overseas department of France)

@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: 83%
other : 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography - note: mostly an unsettled wilderness

@French Guiana:People

Population: 156,946 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years : 32% (male 25,267; female 24,146)
15-64 years: 63% (male 54,051; female 45,489)
65 years and over: 5% (male 4,014; female 3,979) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.62% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 24.19 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.56 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 16.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (1997 est.)