: males age 15-49: 2,637,128 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,012,779
(2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 69,393
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1,190,200,000 (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Czech Republic

Disputes - international: Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution
for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918;
individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated
in connection with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor
dispute with Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power plant and
post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor
transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of
synthetic drugs for local and regional markets

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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French Guiana

Introduction

French Guiana

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.

Geography French Guiana

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 water: 1,850 sq km land: 89,150 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: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (90% forest,
10% other) (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1998 est.)

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

Environment - current issues: NA

Ge