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<i>From the [[CIA World Factbook]] 2000. Not Wikified.</i>
{{Short description|Overseas department of France}}
{{Distinguish|Guyana|The Guianas|French Guinea|Dutch Guiana (disambiguation){{!}}Dutch Guiana|British Guiana}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}}


{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| official_name = Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana<br/>{{native name|fr|Collectivité territoriale de Guyane}}
| native_name = Département de la Guyane
| native_name_lang = fr
| settlement_type = [[Overseas France|Overseas]] [[Departments of France|department]], [[Regions of France|region]] and [[single territorial collectivity]] of [[France]]
| image_skyline = Cayennecentreceperou.JPG
| image_caption = [[Cayenne]], view from Fort Cépérou
| flag_size = 120px
| image_shield = File:Coat of arms of French Guiana.svg
| shield_size = 75px
| image_blank_emblem =
| blank_emblem_size =
| image_map = French Guiana in France 2016.svg
| map_caption =
| motto = [[Fert Aurum Industria]]
| national_anthem =
| coordinates = {{Coord|4|N|53|W|type:adm1st_region:GF|display=ti}}
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{flagu|France}}
| seat_type = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat = [[Cayenne]]
| parts_type = [[Departments of France|Departments]]
| parts_style = list
| parts = 1 (all overseas regions consist of a department in themselves.)
| leader_title1 = [[List of colonial and departmental heads of French Guiana|Prefect]]
| leader_name1 = [[Thierry Queffelec]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Un nouveau préfet pour Wallis et Futuna|url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/wallisfutuna/un-nouveau-prefet-pour-wallis-et-futuna-896720.html|access-date=2021-02-11|website=Wallis-et-Futuna la 1ère|language=fr-FR}}</ref>
| leader_title2 = [[Presidents of the Regional Council of French Guiana|President of the Assembly]]
| leader_name2 = [[Rodolphe Alexandre]]
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 83534
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_rank = <!--Please DO NOT add an area rank that is defined by the list of countries by size; French Guiana is NOT its own country; it's part of France and its area rank must be defined among French regions and departments.-->2nd region and 1st department
| population_footnotes = <ref name=pop>{{cite web| url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/1893198/estim-pop-nreg-sexe-gca-1975-2021.xls | title=Estimation de population par région, sexe et grande classe d'âge – Années 1975 à 2021| author=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]]| access-date=2021-01-21|language=fr}}</ref>
| population_total = 294071
| population_as_of = January 2021
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = French Guianese or Guianan
| timezone1 = GFT
| utc_offset1 = &minus;03:00
| blank_name_sec1 = [[Gross domestic product|GDP]]&nbsp;(2018)<ref name="GDP">{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf | title=Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by NUTS 2 regions | publisher=[[Eurostat]]|access-date=2019-04-08}}</ref>
| blank_info_sec1 = [[List of French regions and overseas collectivities by GDP|Ranked 17th]]
| blank1_name_sec1 = Total
| blank1_info_sec1 = €4.5 billion
| blank2_name_sec1 = Per capita
| blank2_info_sec1 = €16,000
| blank_name_sec2 = [[First-level NUTS of the European Union#France|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2 = FRA
| website = [https://www.ctguyane.fr/ Territorial Collectivity]<br>
[http://www.guyane.pref.gouv.fr/ Prefecture]
| iso_code = {{hlist|[[ISO 3166-2:GF|GF]]|[[ISO 3166-2:FR|FR-GF]]}}
| footnotes =
| name = French Guiana
| anthem = "[[La Marseillaise]]"<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:La Marseillaise.ogg|alt=sound clip of the Marseillaise French national anthem]]</div>
| flag_link =
}}


'''French Guiana''' ({{IPAc-en|ɡ|i|ˈ|ɑː|n|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|ɡ|i|ˈ|æ|n|ə}}; {{lang-fr|Guyane}} {{IPA-fr|ɡɥijan|}}) is an [[overseas department and region|overseas department/region]] and [[single territorial collectivity]] of [[France]] on the northern [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast of [[South America]] in [[the Guianas]]. It borders [[Brazil]] to the east and south and [[Suriname]] to the west. French Guiana is the only territory of the mainland [[Americas]] to have [[2010 French Guianan status referendum|full integration in a European country]].


* [[/History|History]]
With a land area of {{convert|83,534|km2|abbr=on}}, French Guiana is the second-largest [[Regions of France|region]] of France (it is more than one-seventh the size of [[Metropolitan France]]) and the largest [[Special member state territories and the European Union|outermost region]] within the [[European Union]]. It has a very low population density, with only {{convert|3.5|PD/sqkm|abbr=out}}. (Its population is less than {{frac|1|200}} that of Metropolitan France.) Half of its 294,071 inhabitants in 2021 lived in the metropolitan area of [[Cayenne]], its [[Prefectures in France|capital]]. 98.9% of the land territory of French Guiana is covered by forests,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/EL |title=FAOSTAT – Land Use |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]|access-date=2019-02-03}}</ref> a large part of which is [[Old-growth forest|primeval]] [[Tropical rainforest|rainforest]]. The [[Guiana Amazonian Park]], which is the largest [[national park]] in the European Union,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://parc-amazonien.wmaker.tv/Parc-amazonien-de-Guyane-le-plus-vaste-Parc-national-de-France-et-de-l-Union-europeenne_v38.html |title=Parc amazonien de Guyane, le plus vaste Parc national de France et de l'Union européenne |publisher=[[Guiana Amazonian Park]]|access-date=2019-02-03}}</ref> covers 41% of French Guiana's territory.


* [[/Geography|Geography]]
Since December 2015 both the region and the department have been ruled by a single assembly within the framework of a new [[territorial collectivity]], the French Guiana Territorial Collectivity ({{lang-fr|collectivité territoriale de Guyane|links=no}}). This assembly, the French Guiana Assembly ({{lang-fr|assemblée de Guyane|links=no}}), has replaced the former [[Regional Council of French Guiana|regional council]] and [[General Council of French Guiana|departmental council]], which were both disbanded. The French Guiana Assembly is in charge of regional and departmental government. Its president is [[Rodolphe Alexandre]].


* [[/People|People]]
[[File:Panorama depuis l'île Royale.jpg|thumb|View from [[Salvation Islands]]]]


* [[/Government|Government]]
Fully integrated in the [[France|French Republic]] in the 21st century, French Guiana is a part of the European Union, and its official currency is the [[euro]].<ref name=GDP/> A large part of French Guiana's economy derives from jobs and businesses associated with the presence of the Guiana Space Centre, now the [[European Space Agency]]'s primary launch site near the equator. As elsewhere in France, the official language is standard [[French language|French]], but each ethnic community has its own language, of which [[French Guianese Creole]], a French-based [[creole language]], is the most widely spoken.


* [[/Economy|Economy]]
==Name==
[[File:Guyanas.svg|thumb|Map of northern South America showing the extent of the Guyanas region.]]


* [[/Communications|Communications]]
The addition of the adjective "French" in most languages other than French is rooted in colonial times, when five such colonies ([[The Guianas]]) had been named along the coast, subject to differing powers: namely (from west to east) Spanish Guiana (now [[Guayana Region]] in [[Venezuela]] and [[Guayana Esequiba]] in [[Guyana]]), [[British Guiana]] (now [[Guyana]]), [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Dutch Guiana]] (now [[Suriname]]), French Guiana, and [[Brazilian Guiana|Portuguese Guiana]] (now [[Amapá]] in Brazil). French Guiana and the two larger countries to the north and west, Guyana and Suriname, are still often collectively referred to as "the Guianas" and constitute one large landmass known as the [[Guiana Shield]].


* [[/Transportation|Transportation]]
==History==
{{Main|History of French Guiana}}
{{See also|French colonization of the Americas |Portuguese conquest of French Guiana}}


* [[/Military|Military]]
French Guiana was originally inhabited by [[indigenous people]]: [[Kalina people|Kalina]], [[Arawak]], [[Galibi]], [[Palikur]], [[Teko, tribe|Teko]], [[Wayampi]] and [[Wayana]]. The French attempted to create a colony there since the 16th century in conjunction with its settlement of some Caribbean islands, such as Guadeloupe and [[Saint-Domingue]].


* [[/Transnational issues|Transnational Issues]]
Before European contact, the territory was originally inhabited by [[Indigenous peoples of South America|Native Americans]], most speaking the [[Arawak language]], of the Arawakan language family. The people identified as [[Lokono]]. The first French establishment is recorded in 1503, but France did not establish a durable presence until colonists founded [[Cayenne]] in 1643. Guiana was developed as a [[Atlantic slave trade|slave society]], where planters imported Africans as enslaved labourers on large sugar and other plantations in such number as to increase the population. [[Abolitionism|Slavery was abolished]] in the colonies at the time of the [[French Revolution]].

During the Revolution, the National Convention voted to abolish slavery in February 1794, months after the rebelling slaves had already announced the abolition of slavery in Saint-Domingue. However, the 1794 decree was only implemented in Saint-Domingue, [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Guyane]]: it was a dead letter in [[Senegal]], [[Mauritius]] and [[Réunion|Reunion]]. [[Martinique]] had been conquered by the British, who maintained slavery there.<ref>Sue Peabody, ''French Emancipation'' https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199730414/obo-9780199730414-0253.xml Accessed 27 October 2019.</ref>

Bill Marshall, Professor of Comparative Cultural Studies at the [[University of Stirling]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Stirling Research Database, Prof Bill Marshall | author = University of Stirling |url = http://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11683}}</ref> wrote of French Guiana's origins:
{{Quote|The first French effort to colonize Guiana, in 1763, failed utterly, as settlers were subject to high mortality given the numerous tropical diseases and harsh climate: all but 2,000 of the initial 12,000 settlers died.

Guiana was designated as a [[Departments of France|French department]] in 1797. But, after France gave up most of its territory in North America in 1803, it developed Guiana as a [[penal colony]], establishing a network of camps and penitentiaries along the coast where prisoners from metropolitan France were sentenced to [[Unfree labour|forced labour]].{{citation needed lead|date=June 2020}}

During operations as a [[penal colony]] beginning in the mid-19th century, France transported approximately 56,000 prisoners to [[Devil's Island]]. Fewer than 10% survived their sentence.<ref name="Marshall">{{cite book|last=Marshall|first=Bill|title=France and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History|year=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO, Inc.|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn=1-85109-411-3|pages=372–373|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfq5Tp0nq98C}}</ref>}}
''[[Île du Diable]]'' (Devil's Island) was the site of a small prison facility, part of a larger penal system by the same name, which consisted of prisons on three islands and three larger prisons on the mainland. This was operated from 1852 to 1953.
[[File:Domenico Failutti - Retrato de João Severiano M. da Costa (Marquês de Queluz), Acervo do Museu Paulista da USP (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Following the [[Portuguese conquest of French Guiana]] in 1809, [[:pt:João Severiano Maciel da Costa|João Severiano Maciel da Costa]] served as its only governor until 1817.]]
In addition, in the late nineteenth century, France began requiring forced residencies by prisoners who survived their hard labour.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/219071/French-Guiana/2490/History "French Guiana"], ''Encyclopædia Britannica''</ref> A [[Portugal|Portuguese]]-British naval squadron [[Invasion of Cayenne (1809)|took French Guiana]] for the [[Portuguese Empire]] in 1809. It was returned to France with the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1814. Though Portugal returned the region to France, it kept a military presence until 1817.

After French Guiana was established as a penal colony, officials sometimes used convicts to catch butterflies. The sentences of the convicts were often long, and the prospect of employment very weak, so the convicts caught butterflies to sell in the international market, both for scientific purposes as well as general collecting.<ref>[http://staffblogs.le.ac.uk/carchipelago/2015/07/27/convicts-collecting-and-knowledge-production-in-the-nineteenth-century/], Convicts, "Collecting and Knowledge Production in the Nineteenth Century", Clare Anderson, Staff Blogs</ref>

A border dispute with Brazil arose in the late 19th century over a vast area of jungle, resulting in the short-lived, pro-French, independent state of [[Republic of Independent Guyana|Counani]] in the disputed territory. There was some fighting among settlers. The dispute was resolved largely in favour of Brazil by the [[arbitration]] of the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] government.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Politics of South American Boundaries |author= Carlos A. Parodi|year= 2002|publisher=[[Praeger Publishers]]|isbn=0-275-97194-5|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9srWYtTqySkC&pg=PA15}}</ref>

The territory of [[Inini]] consisted of most of the interior of French Guiana when it was created in 1930. It was abolished in 1946, the year that French Guiana as a whole was formally established as an [[overseas department]] of France.

During [[World War II]] and the fall of France to Nazi German forces, [[Félix Éboué]] was one of the first to support General [[Charles de Gaulle]] of Free France, as early as June 18, 1940. Guiana officially rallied to [[Free France]] in 1943. It abandoned its colony status and once again became a French [[Overseas department and region|department]] in 1946.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} After de Gaulle was elected as president of France, he established the [[Guiana Space Centre]] in 1965. It is now operated by the [[CNES]], [[Arianespace]] and the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA).{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}<!-- only Arianespace as a corporation? what is the role of [[ArianeGroup]] which seems to have the responsibility (per sources, by 2018 at least) of running the Guiana Space Centre, developing [[Ariane 6]], etc. -->

Following the French withdrawal from Vietnam in the 1950s and subsequent warfare conducted in the region by the United States, France helped resettle several hundred [[Hmong people|Hmong refugees from Laos]] to French Guiana during the 1970s and 80's, who were fleeing displacement after the [[History of Laos since 1945#Communist Laos (1975–1991)|communist takeover of Laos]] by [[Pathet Lao]] in 1975.<ref name=immigration>{{cite web|url=https://www.blada.com/data/File/2012pdf/panoimmigr102012.pdf |title=Panorama de la population immigrée en Guyane |publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]]|access-date=2019-02-02}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, more than 10,000 [[Suriname]]se refugees, mostly [[Maroons]], arrived in French Guiana, fleeing the [[Surinamese Interior War|Surinamese Civil War]].<ref name=immigration />

More recently, French Guiana has received large numbers of [[Brazil]]ian and [[Haiti]]an [[economic migrant]]s.<ref name=immigration /> Illegal and ecologically destructive [[gold mining]] by Brazilian {{Lang|pt|[[Gold mining|garimpeiros]]}} is a chronic issue in the remote interior rain forest of French Guiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/dec/17/pollution.mining |title=Illegal, polluting and dangerous: the gold rush in French Guiana |work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2019-02-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20170829-focus-france-french-guiana-illegal-gold-mining-brazil-rainforest-organised-crime |title=The fight against illegal gold mining in French Guiana |publisher=[[France 24]]|access-date=2019-02-02}}</ref> The region still faces such problems as illegal immigration, poorer infrastructure than mainland France, higher costs of living, higher levels of crime and more common social unrest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why one part of South America is facing a total shutdown |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39557670 |website=BBC News |access-date=14 September 2018 |date=10 April 2017}}</ref>

In 1964, French president [[Charles de Gaulle]] decided to construct a space-travel base in French Guiana. It was intended to replace the Sahara base in [[Algeria]] and stimulate economic growth in French Guiana. The department was considered suitable for the purpose because it is near the [[equator]] and has extensive access to the ocean as a buffer zone. The [[Guiana Space Centre]], located a short distance along the coast from [[Kourou]], has grown considerably since the initial launches of the [[Véronique (rocket)|Véronique]] rockets. It is now part of the European space industry and has had commercial success with such launches as the [[Ariane 4]] and [[Ariane 5]].

The Guianese General Council officially adopted a [[Departments of France|departmental]] flag in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.97320.com/Le-Conseil-general-adopte-le-drapeau-guyanais_a3504.html |title=The General Council adopts the Guyanese flag |date=26 January 2010 |language=fr |publisher=OuebTV |website=97320.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531072933/https://www.97320.com/Le-Conseil-general-adopte-le-drapeau-guyanais_a3504.html |archive-date=31 May 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> In a [[2010 French Guianan status referendum|referendum]] that same year, French Guiana voted against autonomy.<ref name="bbcnewsreferendum">{{cite news|title=French Guiana and Martinique reject increased autonomy|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8451095.stm|access-date=December 19, 2019|work=BBC|date=January 11, 2010}}</ref>

On March 20, 2017, French Guianese workers began [[2017 social unrest in French Guiana|going on strike and demonstrating for more resources and infrastructure]].<ref name="lemondelaguyanemarot">{{cite news|last1=Marot|first1=Laurent|title=La Guyane paralysée par les mouvements sociaux|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2017/03/27/paralysee-par-les-mouvements-sociaux-la-guyane-attend-l-arrivee-de-ministres-pour-negocier_5101334_3224.html|access-date=April 3, 2017|work=Le Monde|date=March 27, 2017}}</ref> March 28, 2017 was the day of the largest demonstration ever held in French Guiana.<ref name="lepointmanifestationshistoriques">{{cite news|title=Guyane : manifestations historiques pour la "journée morte"|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/guyane-manifestations-historiques-pour-la-journee-morte-28-03-2017-2115486_23.php|access-date=April 4, 2017|work=Le Point|date=March 28, 2017}}</ref>

French Guiana has been impacted severely by the [[COVID-19 pandemic in French Guiana|COVID-19 outbreak]], with more than 1% of French Guianese testing positive by the end of June 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thébia |first1=Marie-Claude |title=Coronavirus : 3 décès en 48h, et 313 nouvelles contaminations indique le Covid info de ce lundi 29 juin |url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/coronavirus-3-deces-48h-313-nouvelles-contaminations-indique-covid-info-ce-lundi-29-juin-848758.html |access-date=30 June 2020 |agency=Guyane 1 |date=29 June 2020}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of French Guiana }}
[[File:Guyane map-en.svg|thumb|400px|upright=1.3|Geographic map of French Guiana]]

French Guiana lies between latitudes [[3rd parallel north|3°]] and [[6th parallel north|6°]] N, and longitudes [[51st meridian west|51°]] and [[55th meridian west|55°]] W. It 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 [[Tumuk Humak Mountains|Tumuc-Humac mountains]] along the Brazilian frontier. French Guiana's highest peak is [[Bellevue de l'Inini]] in [[Maripasoula]] ({{convert|851|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}). Other mountains include [[Mont Machalou]] ({{convert|782|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), [[Pic Coudreau]] ({{convert|711|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), Mont St Marcel ({{convert|635|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), [[Mont Favard]] ({{convert|200|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) and [[Montagne du Mahury]] ({{convert|156|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}).

Several small islands are found off the coast, the three [[Salvation's Islands]] which include [[Devil's Island (Kourou)|Devil's Island]], and the isolated [[Îles du Connétable]] bird sanctuary further along the coast towards Brazil.

The [[Petit-Saut Dam]], a [[Dam#Power generation plant|hydroelectric dam]] in the north of French Guiana forms an [[Reservoir|artificial lake]] and provides [[hydroelectricity]]. There are many rivers in French Guiana, including the [[Waki (river)|Waki River]].

{{As of|2007}}, the [[Amazonian forest]], located in the most remote part of the department, is protected as the [[Guiana Amazonian Park]], one of the ten [[national parks of France]]. The territory of the park covers some {{convert|33900|km2|sqmi|-1|abbr=on}} upon the [[Communes of the Guyane department|communes]] of [[Camopi]], [[Maripasoula]], [[Papaïchton]], [[Saint-Élie]] and [[Saül]].

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map GUF present.svg|thumb|300px|left|Köppen climate classification of French Guiana.]]

French Guiana has a [[tropical rainforest climate]] predominant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.french-guiana.climatemps.com/|title=French Guiana Climate, Average Weather, Temperatures, Rainfall, Sunshine, Humidity, Graphs|website=www.french-guiana.climatemps.com|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> Located within six degrees of the [[Equator]] and rising only to modest elevations, French Guiana is hot and oppressively humid all year round. During most of the year, rainfall across the country is heavy due to the presence of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]] and its powerful thunderstorm cells. In most parts of French Guiana, rainfall is always heavy especially from December to July – typically over {{convert|330|mm|in|0|disp=or}} can be expected each month during this period throughout the department. Between August and November, the eastern half experiences a [[dry season|"dry" season]] with rainfall below {{convert|60|mm|in|2|disp=or}} occurring in September and October, causing eastern French Guiana to be classed as a [[tropical monsoon climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Am''); Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in the west has a [[tropical rainforest climate]] (''Af'').

{{Weather box|location = [[Cayenne]], French Guiana
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 32
|Feb record high C = 34
|Mar record high C = 33
|Apr record high C = 33
|May record high C = 33
|Jun record high C = 34
|Jul record high C = 34
|Aug record high C = 36
|Sep record high C = 36
|Oct record high C = 36
|Nov record high C = 35
|Dec record high C = 34
|year record high C = 36
|Jan high C = 27
|Feb high C = 28
|Mar high C = 28
|Apr high C = 28
|May high C = 28
|Jun high C = 28
|Jul high C = 29
|Aug high C = 30
|Sep high C = 31
|Oct high C = 30
|Nov high C = 30
|Dec high C = 28
|year high C = 29
|Jan low C = 23
|Feb low C = 23
|Mar low C = 23
|Apr low C = 23
|May low C = 23
|Jun low C = 23
|Jul low C = 23
|Aug low C = 22
|Sep low C = 22
|Oct low C = 22
|Nov low C = 22
|Dec low C = 23
|year low C = 23
|Jan record low C = 19
|Feb record low C = 20
|Mar record low C = 19
|Apr record low C = 18
|May record low C = 20
|Jun record low C = 21
|Jul record low C = 20
|Aug record low C = 20
|Sep record low C = 21
|Oct record low C = 20
|Nov record low C = 20
|Dec record low C = 20
|year record low C = 18
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 380
|Feb rain mm = 320
|Mar rain mm = 380
|Apr rain mm = 380
|May rain mm = 510
|Jun rain mm = 390
|Jul rain mm = 200
|Aug rain mm = 100
|Sep rain mm = 40
|Oct rain mm = 50
|Nov rain mm = 120
|Dec rain mm = 290
|Jan rain days = 20
|Feb rain days = 16
|Mar rain days = 22
|Apr rain days = 21
|May rain days = 26
|Jun rain days = 23
|Jul rain days = 18
|Aug rain days = 9
|Sep rain days = 4
|Oct rain days = 4
|Nov rain days = 11
|Dec rain days = 18
|unit rain days = 0.1 mm
|Jan humidity = 82
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 84
|May humidity = 85
|Jun humidity = 82
|Jul humidity = 78
|Aug humidity = 74
|Sep humidity = 71
|Oct humidity = 71
|Nov humidity = 76
|Dec humidity = 81
|Jan sun = 155
|Feb sun = 113
|Mar sun = 124
|Apr sun = 120
|May sun = 124
|Jun sun = 180
|Jul sun = 217
|Aug sun = 248
|Sep sun = 270
|Oct sun = 279
|Nov sun = 240
|Dec sun = 186
|source 1 = BBC Weather<ref name="weather1">{{cite web
| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/3382160 | title =Average Conditions Cayenne, French Guiana| access-date =15 May 2010
|publisher=BBC Weather }}</ref>
|date=February 2013}}

===Environment===
[[File:Amazonie jt01.png|300px|thumb|left|Aerial view of the [[Amazon rainforest]].]]
[[File:Ilesaintjoseph.JPG|thumb|[[Saint-Joseph Island]] seen from Royale Island.]]
[[File:Chutes Voltaire.jpg|thumb|Voltaire fall, [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]].]]

French Guiana is home to many different [[ecosystem]]s: [[tropical rainforest]]s, coastal [[mangroves]], [[savannahs]], [[inselberg]]s and many types of [[wetlands]]. It lies within three ecoregions: [[Guayanan Highlands moist forests]], [[Guianan moist forests]], and [[Guianan mangroves]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> French Guiana has a high level of [[biodiversity]] of both [[flora]] and [[fauna]]. This is due to the presence of [[primary forest|old-growth forests]] (i.e., ancient/primary forests), which are [[biodiversity hotspot]]s. The [[rainforest]]s of French Guiana provide shelter for many species during dry periods and terrestrial glaciation. These forests are protected by a national park (the [[Guiana Amazonian Park]]), and six additional [[nature reserve]]s. The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) and the [[European Union]] (EU) have recommended special efforts to protect these areas.<ref name="UICN">{{cite web | author=Comité français de l’Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature) | year=2003 | url=http://www.uicn.fr/IMG/pdf/03_UICN_2003_Biodiv_OM_-_Guyane.pdf | work=Biodiversité et conservation en outre-mer (Biodiversity and conservation overseas) | title=Guyane (Guyana) | publisher=Comité français de l’UICN (French Committee of the IUCN) | access-date=3 January 2010}}</ref>

Following the [[Grenelle Environnement|Grenelle Environment Round Table]] of 2007, the Grenelle Law II was proposed in 2009, under law number 2010–788. Article 49 of the law proposed the creation of a single organization responsible for environmental conservation in French Guiana. Article 64 proposes a "departmental plan of mining orientation" for French Guiana, which would promote mining (specifically of gold) that is compatible with requirements for environmental protection.<ref name="senat">{{cite web | author=Borloo, Jean-Louis | date= 12 January 2009 | url=http://www.senat.fr/leg/pjl08-155.html | work=Loi n° 2010-788 (law number 2010-788) | title=Portant engagement national pour l'environnement (on national commitment to the environment) | publisher=Sénat français (French Senate) | access-date=3 January 2010}}</ref> The coastal environment along the N1 has historically experienced the most changes, but development is occurring locally along the N2, and also in western French Guiana due to gold mining.

[[File:Jaguar (Panthera onca palustris) male Rio Negro 2.JPG|thumb|left|[[Jaguar]].]]
[[File:Psophia crepitansPCCA20051227-1968B.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[grey-winged trumpeter]], a [[species]] of bird commonly found in the region]]

5,500 plant species have been recorded, including more than a thousand trees, along with 700 species of birds, 177 species of mammals, over 500 species of fish including 45% of which are [[endemism|endemic]] and 109 species of [[amphibian]]s. The micro-organisms would be much more numerous, especially in the north, which competes with the Brazilian Amazon, [[Borneo]] and [[Sumatra]].

Threats to the ecosystem are: [[habitat fragmentation]] from roads, which remains very limited compared to other forests of South America; immediate and deferred impacts of [[Electricite de France|EDF]]'s [[Petit-Saut Dam]]; [[gold mining]]; poor control of hunting and [[poaching]], facilitated by the creation of many tracks; and the introduction of [[all-terrain vehicle]]s. Logging remains moderate due to the lack of roads, difficult climate, and difficult terrain. The Forest Code of French Guiana was modified by ordinance on 28 July 2005. Logging concessions or free transfers are sometimes granted by local authorities to persons traditionally deriving their livelihood from the forest.

The beaches of the natural reserve of the [[Amana (French Guiana)|Amana]], the joint [[Awala-Yalimapo]] in the west, is an exceptional marine turtle nesting site. This is one of the largest worldwide for the [[leatherback turtle]].

===Agriculture===
French Guiana has some of the poorest soils in the world. The soil is low in nutrients (e.g., [[nitrogen]], [[potassium]]) and [[organic matter]]. [[Soil acidity]] is another cause of the poor soils, and it requires farmers to [[Liming (soil)|add lime]] to their fields. The soil characteristics have led to the use of [[slash and burn]] agriculture. The resulting ashes elevate soil [[pH]] (i.e., lower soil acidity), and contribute [[minerals]] and other nutrients to the soil. Sites of [[Terra preta]] ([[human impact on the environment|anthropogenic]] soils) have been discovered in French Guiana, particularly near the border with [[Brazil]]. Research is being actively pursued in multiple fields to determine how these enriched soils were historically created, and how this can be done in modern times.

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of French Guiana}}

[[File:Ariane 5ES rolls out.jpg|thumb|An [[Ariane 5]] rocket being processed at the [[Guiana Space Centre]]; the launch site is estimated to account for as much as 16% of French Guiana's GDP]]

As a part of France, French Guiana is part of the [[European Union]] and the [[Eurozone]]; its currency is the [[euro]]. The country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for French Guiana is [[.gf]], but [[.fr]] is generally used instead.<ref>[[s:CIA World Fact Book, 2004/French Guiana|French Guiana]]. CIA World Factbook (2004)</ref>

In 2017, the GDP of French Guiana at market exchange rates was US$5.18&nbsp;billion (€4.59&nbsp;billion),<ref name=GDP /> ranking as the largest economy in the [[The Guianas|Guianas]], and the 11th largest in South America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=56&pr.y=9&sy=2017&ey=2024&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=311%2C336%2C213%2C263%2C314%2C268%2C313%2C343%2C316%2C273%2C339%2C278%2C218%2C283%2C223%2C288%2C228%2C293%2C233%2C361%2C238%2C362%2C321%2C364%2C243%2C366%2C248%2C369%2C253%2C298%2C328%2C299%2C258&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019 – Gross domestic product per capita, current prices, U.S. dollars|author=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref>

French Guiana is heavily dependent on mainland France for subsidies, trade, and goods.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} The main traditional industries are fishing (accounting for 5% of exports in 2012), gold mining (accounting for 32% of exports in 2012) and timber (accounting for 1% of exports in 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iedom.fr/IMG/pdf/ra2012_guyane.pdf |title=Guyane – Rapport annuel 2012|page=46|author=IEDOM|access-date=4 March 2014}}</ref> In addition, the [[Guiana Space Centre]] has played a significant role in the local economy since it was established in [[Kourou]] in 1964: it accounted directly and indirectly for 16% of French Guiana's GDP in 2002 (down from 26% in 1994, as the French Guianese economy is becoming increasingly diversified).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/guyane/themes/antiane_echos/aechos01/aechos_01.pdf |title=Le poids du spatial diminue, l'économie de la Guyane se diversifie|author=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]]|access-date=4 March 2014}}</ref> The Guiana Space Centre employed 1,659 people in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iedom.fr/IMG/pdf/ra2012_guyane.pdf |title=Guyane – Rapport annuel 2012|page=136|author=IEDOM|access-date=4 March 2014}}</ref>

There is very little manufacturing. Agriculture is largely undeveloped and is mainly confined to the area near the coast and along the [[Maroni (river)|Maroni River]]. Sugar and bananas were traditionally two of the main [[cash crop]]s grown for export but have almost completely disappeared. Today they have been replaced by [[livestock|livestock raising]] (essentially beef cattle and pigs) in the coastal savannas between [[Cayenne]] and the second-largest town, [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]], and [[market gardening]] (fruits and vegetables) developed by the [[Hmong people|Hmong]] communities settled in French Guiana in the 1970s, both destined to the local market. A thriving rice production, developed on [[polder]]s near [[Mana, French Guiana|Mana]] from the early 1980s to the late 2000s, has almost completely disappeared since 2011 due to marine erosion and new [[Directorate-General for Health and Consumers|EU plant health rules]] which forbid the use of many pesticides and fertilizers. Tourism, especially [[ecotourism|eco-tourism]], is growing. Unemployment has been persistently high in the last few decades: 20% to 25% (22.3% in 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/IRSOCEDS2011/dd/excel/IRSOCEDS2011_T401.xls |title=T401 : Taux de chômage localisé au deuxième trimestre par département d'outre-mer|author=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]]|access-date=4 March 2014}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[list of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|GDP per capita]] of French Guiana at market exchange rates, not at [[purchasing power parity|PPP]], was US$18,313 (€16,218),<ref name=GDP /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2017&ey=2024&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=%2C&br=1&pr1.x=54&pr1.y=12&c=311%2C336%2C213%2C263%2C314%2C268%2C313%2C343%2C316%2C273%2C339%2C278%2C218%2C283%2C223%2C288%2C228%2C293%2C233%2C361%2C238%2C362%2C321%2C364%2C243%2C366%2C248%2C369%2C253%2C298%2C328%2C299%2C258&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019 – Gross domestic product per capita, current prices, U.S. dollars|author=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref> but only 46.7% of [[metropolitan France]]'s average GDP per capita that year, and 55.5% of the metropolitan French regions outside the [[Île-de-France|Paris Region]].<ref name=GDP /> [[2017 social unrest in French Guiana|Social unrest in 2017]] paralyzed the economy for several weeks and led to an economic recession (−1.9% in [[Real versus nominal value (economics)|real terms]]), which sunk the GDP per capita that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cerom-outremer.fr/IMG/pdf/cerom_2017_973.pdf |title=Les comptes économiques de la Guyane en 2017|author=CEROM|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|+ style="margin-bottom: 0.5em"| '''<big>Regional GDP of French Guiana</big>'''<br /><small>(in euros, current prices)</small>
! !! &nbsp;2015&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2016&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2017&nbsp;
|-
|align=center| '''Nominal GDP''' <small>'''(€ bn)'''</small>|| align=center| 4.44 || align=center| 4.69 || align=center| 4.59
|-
|align=center| '''GDP per capita''' <small>'''(euros)'''</small> || align=center| 16,784 || align=center| 17,139 || align=center| 16,218
|-
|align=center| '''GDP per capita as a %'''<br />'''of [[Metropolitan France]]'s''' || align=center| 50.2 || align=center| 50.7 || align=center| 46.7
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | <small>Sources: [[Eurostat]];<ref name=GDP /> [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]] for the population.<ref name=pop /></small>
|}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of French Guiana}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Historical population
! 1790<br />estimate !! 1839<br />estimate !! 1857<br />estimate !! 1891<br />estimate !! 1936<br />census !!1946<br />census !! 1952<br />estimate !! 1954<br />census !! 1961<br />census
|-
| align=center| 14,520 || align=center| 20,940 || align=center| 25,561 || align=center| 33,500 || align=center| 37,005 ||align=center| 28,506 ||align=center| 25,459 || align=center| 27,863|| align=center| 33,505
|-
! 1967<br />census !! 1974<br />census !! 1982<br />census !! 1990<br />census !! 1999<br />census !! 2008<br />census !! 2013<br />census !! 2018<br />census !! 2021<br />estimate
|-
| align=center| 44,392 || align=center| 55,125 || align=center| 73,022 || align=center| 114,678 || align=center| 156,790 || align=center| 219,266 || align=center| 244,118 || align=center| 276,128|| align=center| 294,071
|-
| colspan=9 align=center| <small>Official figures from past censuses and [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]] estimates.</small>
|}

French Guiana's population of 294,071 (Jan. 2021 estimate<ref name=pop/>), most of whom live along the coast, is substantially ethnically diverse. At the 2014 census, 57.3% of the inhabitants of French Guiana were born in French Guiana, 9.3% were born in [[Metropolitan France]], 3.0% were born in the French [[Caribbean]] [[departments of France|departments]] and [[Overseas collectivity|collectivities]] ([[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]]), and 30.2% were born in foreign countries (primarily [[Suriname]], [[Brazil]] and [[Haiti]]).<ref name=immig>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3137836?sommaire=2414232 |title=Données harmonisées des recensements de la population 1968–2014 |author=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]] |access-date=27 January 2018 |language=fr}}</ref>

Estimates of the percentages of French Guiana ethnic composition are difficult to produce due to the presence of a large proportion of immigrants. People of mixed African and French ancestry are the largest ethnic group, though estimates vary as to the exact percentage, depending upon whether the large [[Haitians|Haitian]] community is included as well. Generally, the Creole population is judged to be about 60–70% of the total population of Haitians (comprising roughly one-third of Creoles) are included, and 30–50% otherwise. There are also smaller groups from various [[Caribbean]] islands, mainly Martinique, Guadeloupe, [[Saint Lucia]].

Roughly 14% of the population is of European ancestry. The vast majority of these are of French ancestry, though there are also people of Spanish and [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] ancestry.

The main Asian communities are the [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] (about 3–4%, primarily from [[Zhejiang|Zhejiang Province]] and [[Guangdong|Guangdong Province]] in [[mainland China]]) and [[Hmong people|Hmong]] from [[Laos]] (1–2%). Other groups from Asia include [[Indians in French Guiana|East Indians]], [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] and [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]].

The main groups living in the interior are the [[Maroon (people)|Maroons]] who are of African descent, and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Amerindians]]. The Maroons, descendants of escaped African slaves, live primarily along the [[Maroni River]]. The main Maroon groups are the Saramaca, Aucan (both of whom also live in [[Suriname]]), and Boni ([[Aluku]]).

The main Amerindian groups (forming about 3–4% of the population) are the [[Arawaks|Arawak]], [[Kalina people|Carib]], [[Emerillon people|Emerillon]] (now called the [[Teko people|Teko]]), [[Galibi]] (now called the [[Kaliña]]), [[Palikur people|Palikur]], [[Wayampi]] and [[Wayana]]. As of the late 1990s, there was evidence of an [[Uncontacted peoples|uncontacted group]] of Wayampi.

===Immigration===
{| width="720" style="border: 2px solid #999" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Place of birth of residents of French Guiana<br><small>(at the 1990, 1999, 2006, 2011, and 2014 censuses)</small>
| align=center| '''Census''' ||align=center| '''Born in<br>French&nbsp;Guiana''' || align=center | '''Born in<br>[[Metropolitan France|Metropolitan&nbsp;France]]''' || align=center | '''Born in the<br>[[French West Indies|French&nbsp;West&nbsp;Indies]]''' || align=center | '''Born in the<br>rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;[[Overseas France|Overseas&nbsp;France]]''' || align=center | '''Born&nbsp;in&nbsp;foreign<br>countries&nbsp;with&nbsp;French<br>citizenship&nbsp;at&nbsp;birth¹''' || align=center | '''Immigrants²'''
|-
| align=center| 2014 || align=center | 57.3% || align=center | 9.3% || align=center | 3.0% || align=center | 0.3% || align=center | 1.2% || align=center | 29.0%
|-
| align=center| 2011 || align=center | 56.5% || align=center | 9.3% || align=center | 3.4% || align=center | 0.2% || align=center | 1.3% || align=center | 29.3%
|-
| align=center| 2006 || align=center | 55.3% || align=center | 9.6% || align=center | 3.1% || align=center | 0.2% || align=center | 1.4% || align=center | 30.4%
|-
| align=center| 1999 || align=center | 54.4% || align=center | 11.8% || align=center | 4.9% || align=center | 0.3% || align=center | 2.0% || align=center | 26.6%
|-
| align=center| 1990 || align=center | 50.5% || align=center | 11.7% || align=center | 5.2% || align=center | 0.3% || align=center | 1.9% || align=center | 30.4%
|-
| align=left colspan=7| ¹<small>Persons born abroad of French parents, such as [[Pieds-Noirs]] and children of French [[expatriate]]s.</small><br>²<small>An immigrant is by French definition a person born in a foreign country and who didn't have French citizenship at birth. Note that an immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still listed as an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.</small>
|-
| align=center colspan=7| Source: INSEE<ref name=immig />
|}

===Religion===
[[File:Cathédralestsauveur.jpg|thumb|[[Cayenne Cathedral]]. Most inhabitants of French Guiana are Catholic.]]

The dominant religion of French Guiana is [[Roman Catholicism]]; the Maroons and some Amerindian peoples maintain their own religions. The Hmong people are also largely Catholic owing to the influence of missionaries who helped bring them to French Guiana.<ref>{{cite book|title=South America |author=Palmerlee, Danny |year= 2007|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|isbn=978-1-74104-443-0|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zeUwp50DR9EC&pg=PA746}}</ref> [[Catholic Church in French Guiana|Guianan Catholics]] are part of the [[Diocese of Cayenne]].

===Fertility===
The [[total fertility rate]] in French Guiana has remained high and is today considerably higher than that of [[metropolitan France]], as well as most of the other [[Overseas department|French overseas departments]]. It is largely responsible for the rapid population growth of French Guiana.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 0.9em; width:50%"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Total fertility rate
! !! &nbsp;1999&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2000&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2001&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2002&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2003&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2004&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2005&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2006&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2007&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2008&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2009&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2010&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2011&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2012&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2013&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2014&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2015&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2016&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2017&nbsp; !! &nbsp;2018&nbsp;
|-
|align=center| French Guiana || align=center| 3.87 || align=center| 3.93 || align=center| 3.79 || align=center| 3.73 || align=center| 3.77 || align=center| 3.47 || align=center| 3.79 || align=center| 3.80 || align=center| 3.73 || align=center| 3.57 || align=center| 3.49 || align=center| 3.37 || align=center| 3.42 || align=center| 3.60 || align=center| 3.47 || align=center| 3.44 || align=center| 3.44 || align=center| 3.61 || align=center| 3.93 || align=center| 3.82
|-
|align=center| [[Overseas department|4 overseas departments<sup>A</sup>]] || align=center| 2.32 || align=center| 2.45 || align=center| 2.42 || align=center| 2.35 || align=center| 2.38 || align=center| 2.40 || align=center| 2.46 || align=center| 2.48 || align=center| 2.48 || align=center| 2.46 || align=center| 2.42 || align=center| 2.39 || align=center| 2.40 || align=center| 2.48 || align=center| 2.44 || align=center| N/A || align=center| N/A || align=center| N/A || align=center| N/A || align=center| N/A
|-
|align=center| [[Metropolitan France]] || align=center| 1.79 || align=center| 1.87 || align=center| 1.88 || align=center| 1.86 || align=center| 1.87 || align=center| 1.90 || align=center| 1.92 || align=center| 1.98 || align=center| 1.96 || align=center| 1.99 || align=center| 1.99 || align=center| 2.02 || align=center| 2.00 || align=center| 1.99 || align=center| 1.97 || align=center| 1.97 || align=center| 1.93 || align=center| 1.89 || align=center| 1.86 || align=center| 1.84
|-
| colspan=21 align=center| <small>Source: INSEE<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/4503161/p3d.xlsx |title=P3D – Indicateurs généraux de la population par département et région – Séries depuis 1990 |author=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]]|access-date=2020-06-20|language=fr}}</ref><br>
<sup>A</sup> Data for the four overseas departments of French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Réunion, not including the new overseas department of Mayotte.</small>
|}

==Languages==
The official language of French Guiana is [[French language|French]], and it is the predominant language of the department, spoken by most residents as a first or second language. In addition, a number of other local languages exist. Regional languages include [[French Guianese Creole]] (not to be confused with [[Guyanese Creole]]), six [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Amerindian languages]] ([[Arawakan languages|Arawak]], [[Palikur language|Palijur]], [[Carib language|Kali'na]], [[Wayana language|Wayana]], [[Wayampi language|Wayampi]], [[Emerillon language|Emerillon]]), four [[Maroon (people)|Maroon]] creole languages ([[Saramaka language|Saramaka]], [[Paramaccan language|Paramaccan]], [[Aluku language|Aluku]], [[Ndyuka language|Ndyuka]]), as well as [[Hmong Njua]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GF | title=Ethnologue report for French Guiana | work=[[Ethnologue]] | edition=16th | year=2009 | access-date=22 September 2009}}</ref> Other languages spoken include [[English language|English]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], [[Haitian Creole language|Haitian Creole]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]].

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of French Guiana}}

[[File:EU OCT and OMR map en.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of the European Union in the world with overseas countries and territories and outermost regions, as of 2019]]

French Guiana, as part of France, forms part of the [[European Union]] – the largest landmass for an area outside of Europe (since [[Greenland]] left the European Community in 1985), with one of the longest EU external boundaries. It is one of only three [[Special member state territories and the European Union|European Union territories outside Europe]] that is not an island (the others being the Spanish Autonomous Cities in Africa, [[Ceuta]] and [[Melilla]]). As an integral part of France, its [[head of state]] is the [[President of France|President of the French Republic]], and its head of government is the [[Prime Minister of France]]. The French Government and its agencies have responsibility for a wide range of issues that are reserved to the national executive power, such as defense and external relations.

[[File:Cayenne hôtel de ville 2013.jpg|thumb|Cayenne City Hall]]

The President of France appoints a [[Prefect (France)|prefect]] (resident at the [[Prefectures in France|prefecture building]] in Cayenne) as his representative to head the local government of French Guiana. There is one elected, local executive body, the Assemblée de Guyane.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cg973.fr/la-collectivite-territoriale-de|title=Evolution institutionnelle La Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane|access-date=2015-10-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007143603/http://www.cg973.fr/la-collectivite-territoriale-de|archive-date=7 October 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

French Guiana sends two [[Member of Parliament|deputies]] to the [[National Assembly of France|French National Assembly]], one representing the [[Communes of France|commune]] (municipality) of [[Cayenne]] and the commune of [[Macouria]], and the other representing the rest of French Guiana. This latter constituency is the largest in the French Republic by land area. French Guiana also sends two senators to the [[Senate of France|French Senate]].

The [[Guianese Socialist Party]] dominated politics in French Guiana until 2010.
A chronic issue affecting French Guiana is the influx of illegal immigrants and clandestine [[gold prospecting|gold prospectors]] from [[Brazil]] and [[Suriname]]. The border between the department and Suriname, the [[Maroni River]], flows through rain forest and is difficult for the [[Gendarmerie Nationale (France)|Gendarmerie]] and the [[French Foreign Legion]] to patrol. There have been several phases launched by the French government to combat illegal gold mining in French Guiana, beginning with Operation Anaconda beginning in 2003, followed by Operation Harpie in 2008, 2009 and Operation Harpie Reinforce in 2010. Colonel François Müller, the commander of French Guiana's gendarmes, believes these operations have been successful. However, after each operation ends, Brazilian miners, {{Interlanguage link multi|garimpeiros|fr|3=garimpeiros|vertical-align=sup}}, return.<ref>Tabor, Damon (1 April 2010) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100709130226/http://untoldstories.pulitzercenter.org/2010/04/french-guiana-interview-with-colonel-francois-muller-commander-of-the-gendarmes.html#more#more French Guiana: Interview with Colonel Francois Müller, Commander of the Gendarmes]. untoldstories.pulitzercenter.org</ref> Soon after Operation Harpie Reinforce began, an altercation took place between French authorities and Brazilian miners. On 12 March 2010 a team of French soldiers and border police were attacked while returning from a successful operation, during which "the soldiers had arrested 15 miners, confiscated three boats, and seized 617 grams of gold... currently worth about $22,317". Garimpeiros returned to retrieve their lost loot and colleagues. The soldiers fired warning shots and rubber "flash balls", but the miners managed to retake one of their boats and about 500&nbsp;grams of gold. "The violent reaction by the garimpeiros can be explained by the exceptional take of 617 grams of gold, about 20 percent of the quantity seized in 2009 during the battle against [[illegal mining]]", said Phillipe Duporge, the director of French Guiana's border police, at a press conference the next day.<ref>Tabor, Damon (17 March 2010) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100709130456/http://untoldstories.pulitzercenter.org/2010/03/french-guiana-welcome-to-the-jungle.html French Guiana: Welcome to the Jungle]. untoldstories.pulitzercenter.org</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
French Guiana is divided into 2 [[Arrondissements of the Guyane department|arrondissements]] and 22 [[Communes of the Guyane department|communes]]:
[[File:Guyane administrative.PNG|frameless|upright=1.35|left]]
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
'''[[Arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni|Arrondissement of<br />Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]]'''
{{ordered list|start=1
| [[Awala-Yalimapo]]
| [[Mana, French Guiana|Mana]]
| [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]]
| [[Apatou]]
| [[Grand-Santi]]
| [[Papaïchton]]
| [[Saül]]
| [[Maripasoula]]
}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
'''[[Arrondissement of Cayenne|Arrondissement of<br />Cayenne]]'''
{{ordered list|start=9
| [[Camopi]]
| [[Saint-Georges, French Guiana|Saint-Georges]]
| [[Ouanary]]
| [[Régina]]
| [[Roura, French Guiana|Roura]]
| [[Saint-Élie]]
| [[Iracoubo]]
| [[Sinnamary]]
| [[Kourou]]
| [[Macouria]]
| [[Montsinéry-Tonnegrande]]
| [[Matoury]]
| [[Cayenne]]
| [[Remire-Montjoly]]
}}
{{col-end}}
{{clear left}}

==Transport==
{{Main|Transport in French Guiana}}

[[File:PlaceSchoelcher1.JPG|thumb|left|Monument to French abolitionist [[Victor Schœlcher]] in [[Cayenne]]]]

French Guiana's main international airport is [[Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport]], located in the [[communes of France|commune]] of [[Matoury]], a southern suburb of [[Cayenne]]. There are two flights a day to Paris ([[Orly Airport (Paris)|Orly Airport]]), served by [[Air France]] and [[Air Caraïbes]]. The flight time from Cayenne to Paris is 8 hours and 10 minutes, and from Paris to Cayenne it is 8 hours and 30 minutes. There are also flights to [[Fort-de-France]], [[Pointe-à-Pitre]], [[Belém]], and [[Fortaleza]].

French Guiana's main seaport is the port of Dégrad des Cannes, located on the [[estuary]] of the [[Mahury River]], in the commune of [[Remire-Montjoly]], a south-eastern suburb of Cayenne. Almost all of French Guiana's imports and exports pass through the port of Dégrad des Cannes. Built in 1969, it replaced the old harbour of Cayenne which was congested and could not cope with modern traffic.

An [[Pavement (material)#Asphalt paving|asphalted]] road from [[Régina]] to [[Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock]] (a town by the [[Brazil]]ian border) was opened in 2004, completing the road from Cayenne to the Brazilian border. It is now possible to drive on a fully paved road from [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]] on the [[Suriname]]se border to Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock on the Brazilian border.

{{update-section|date=January 2017}}
Following a treaty between France and Brazil signed in July 2005, the [[Oyapock River Bridge]] over the [[Oyapock River]] was built and completed in 2011, becoming the first land crossing ever between French Guiana and the rest of the world (there exists no other bridge crossing the Oyapock River, and no bridge crossing the [[Maroni River]] marking the border with Suriname, although there is a ferry crossing to [[Albina, Suriname]]). The bridge was officially opened on March 18, 2017. However, since the Brazilian government is yet to complete its border posts, only passenger vehicles will be allowed through the bridge for the time being.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://g1.globo.com/ap/amapa/noticia/2017/03/ponte-entre-brasil-e-uniao-europeia-e-aberta-no-amapa-apos-6-anos-pronta.html|title=Ponte entre Brasil e União Europeia é aberta no Amapá após 6 anos pronta|date=2017-03-18|work=Amapá|access-date=2017-03-18|language=pt-BR}}</ref> The inauguration makes it possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to [[Macapá]], the capital of the state of [[Amapá]] in Brazil.

==Main settlements==
Population figures are those recorded in the 2018 census.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3698339 |title=Historique des populations communales|author=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (France)|INSEE]]|access-date=2021-01-06}}</ref>
* [[Cayenne]]: 63,652 inhabitants in the commune; 122,737 inhabitants in the urban area (which includes the communes of Cayenne, [[Matoury]], and [[Remire-Montjoly]]); 144,501 in the metropolitan area (which additionally includes the communes of [[Macouria]], [[Montsinéry-Tonnegrande]], and [[Roura, French Guiana|Roura]])
* [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]]: 45,576
* [[Kourou]]: 24,959
* [[Maripasoula]]: 11,994
* [[Mana, French Guiana|Mana]]: 11,234
* [[Apatou]]: 9,381
* [[Grand-Santi]]: 8,698
* [[Papaïchton]]: 6,212
* [[Saint-Georges, French Guiana|Saint-Georges]]: 4,188

==Military, police and security forces==
The commander of the French armed forces in French Guiana since July 2009 has been General Jean-Pierre Hestin. The military there is currently 1,900 strong, expected to increase enrollment in 2014–2015.<ref name="ReferenceA">Journal of Guyana RFO TV 18 August 2009</ref>

Among the military, police and security forces in French Guiana, are the following:
* The [[3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment]] (3<sup>e</sup> REI) of [[Kourou]] ([[French Foreign Legion|Legion]]).
* The [[9th Marine Infantry Regiment]] (9<sup>e</sup> RIMa) of [[Cayenne]], the Madeleine.
* The [[National Gendarmerie (France)|gendarmerie]] and the [[French National Police|police]], divided into 16 brigades. These serve [[Cayenne]], [[Remire-Montjoly]], [[Cacao, French Guiana|Cacao]], [[Régina]], [[Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock]], [[Camopi]], [[Macouria]], [[Kourou]], [[Sinnamary]], [[Iracoubo]], [[Mana]], [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]], [[Apatou]], [[Grand-Santi]], [[Papaïchton]], [[Maripasoula]] and [[Matoury]].
* The RSMAG Regiment (Adapted Military Service) of Guyana, located in [[Saint-Jean-du-Maroni]], with a detachment in Cayenne.
* Various detachments corps:
** A [[French Air Force]] platoon based at the Felix Eboué airport.<ref>[http://www.guyane.cci.fr/fr/aeroport Aéroport]. guyane.cci.fr</ref>
** The platoon of the [[French Navy]], based at the naval base of [[Dégrad des Cannes]].
** A detachment of the [[Paris Fire Brigade]] in Kourou, ensuring the protection of the [[Guiana Space Centre]].

==Culture==
===Festivities===
{{see also|Music of French Guiana|Carnival in French Guiana|Touloulou}}
[[File:Grande Parade de Kourou - Guyane.JPG|thumb|left|[[Touloulou]]s, Big Parade of [[Kourou]].]]
[[File:Cayenne place de l'Esplanade durant le carnaval.jpg |thumb|300px|Group parades during the Great Night Parade of [[Cayenne]].]]
[[File: Chevaux d'air et de lumière, grande parade du carnaval, Kourou, Guyane Française.jpg|thumb|235px|Horses of air and light at the Big Parade of the Litoral, in [[Kourou]].]]

The [[Carnival]] is one of the major events in French Guiana. Considered the longest in the world, it takes place on [[afternoon]] of [[Sunday]], between [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]] at the beginning of [[January]], and [[Ash Wednesday]] in [[February]] or [[March (month)|March]]. Groups disguised according to the theme of the year, parade around decorated floats, to the rhythm of [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] and brass. The preparation of the groups lasts months before the carnival. The groups parade in front of thousands of spectators who gather on the [[sidewalks]]s and [[bleachers]]s arranged for the occasion.

[[Brazil|Brazilians]] groups identical to those one meets in the [[Carnival in Rio de Janeiro|Rio carnival]], are also appreciated for their rhythms and their alluring costumes. The Chinese community of Cayenne also participates in the [[parade]]s by bringing its characteristic touch, with [[dragon]]s.

Then, at the start of the evening, the [[Touloulou]]s, typical characters of the Guianan carnival, go to the [[Nightclub|dancings]] to participate in the famous [[Masquerade_ball#Contemporary era|paré-masked balls]].



===Cuisine===
{{see also|Guianan cuisine|Couac}}
[[File:Pimentade d'atipas.jpg |thumb|left|Pimentade of [[Hoplosternum littorale|atipas]].]]
[[File:Comtesse, ("Komtess" en créole guyanais).jpg|thumb|right|135px|[[Countess (cake)]].]]

[[Guianan cuisine]] is rich in the different cultures that mix in French Guiana, Creole restaurants rub shoulders with Chinese restaurants in large cities such as [[Cayenne]], [[Kourou]] and [[Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni]]. The local culinary art originally brought together [[Guianan Creole]], [[Bushinengue]] and [[Indigenous peoples of South America|Native American]] cuisines.

All of these cuisines have several ingredients in common:
* [[Manioc]] ;
* Smoked meats and fish.

At [[Easter]], Guianan people eat a traditional dish called [[Awara broth]].

This southern Caribbean territory also has many typical dishes, such as [[Awara broth]], [[Galette#Creole_galette|Creole galette]], [[Dizé milé]], [[Countess (cake)|Countess]], Cramanioc pudding, Kalawanng, [[Couac]] gratin and salad, Fricasse of iguana or its famous Pimentade (fish or chicken [[court-bouillon]])...






===Sports===
As a French Overseas department, French Guiana is not a member of the [[Pan American Sports Organization]]; rather, athletes compete within the [[French National Olympic and Sports Committee]] and are governed by the [[Ligue d'Athlétisme de la Guyane]], a sub-unit of the [[Fédération française d'athlétisme]].

The [[Ligue de Football de la Guyane]] is a member of [[CONCACAF]] but not of [[FIFA]], and the [[French Guiana national football team|French Guiana football team]] finished third in the [[2017 Caribbean Cup]]. The [[French Guiana Honor Division]] is the main football club tournament.

Starting in 1960, the [[Tour of Guiana]], an annual [[stage race|multiple stage]] [[bicycle racing|bicycle race]], is held.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guyane-cyclisme.com/|title=Comité Régional de Cyclisme de la Guyane|website=Guyane Cyclisme|access-date=6 May 2020|language=fr}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The novel ''[[Papillon (book)|Papillon]]'', by the French convict [[Henri Charrière]], is set in French Guiana. It was first published in France in 1969, describing his escape from a penal colony there. Becoming an instant bestseller, it was translated into English from the original French by June P. Wilson and Walter B. Michaels for a 1970 edition, and by author [[Patrick O'Brian]]. Soon afterward the book was adapted for a Hollywood [[Papillon (1973 film)|film of the same name]]. Charrière stated that all events in the book are truthful and accurate, allowing for minor lapses in memory. Since its publication there has been controversy over its accuracy.<ref>[http://www.ruerude.com/2005/12/the_real_papill.html If this is correct; the 'real' Papillon]. Rue Rude. December 2005</ref><ref>Randall, Colin (27 June 2005) [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1492895/Ex-convict-aged-104-claims-to-be-Papillon.html Ex-convict aged 104 claims to be Papillon]. Telegraph.co.uk</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Élie Castor]]
* [[Justin Catayée]]
* [[Léon Damas]]
* [[Lucie Décosse]]
* [[Félix Éboué]]
* [[Odsonne Édouard]]
* [[Léopold Héder]]
* [[Florent Malouda]]
* [[René Maran]]
* [[Malia Metella]]
* [[Gaston Monnerville]]
* [[Alicia Aylies]]
* [[Kevin Séraphin]]
* [[Gadwin Springer]]
* [[Christiane Taubira]]
* [[Jean-Clair Todibo]]

==See also==
* [[Index of French Guiana-related articles]]
* [[List of colonial and departmental heads of French Guiana]]
* [[Republic of Independent Guiana]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* Robert Aldrich and John Connell. ''France's Overseas Frontier : Départements et territoires d'outre-mer'' Cambridge University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-521-03036-6}}.
* René Belbenoit. ''Dry guillotine: Fifteen years among the living dead'' 1938, Reprint: Berkley (1975). {{ISBN|0-425-02950-6}}.
* René Belbenoit. ''Hell on Trial'' 1940, translated from the original French manuscript by Preston Rambo. E. P Dutton & Co. Reprint by Blue Ribbon Books, New York, 194 p. Reprint: Bantam Books, 1971.
* [[Henri Charrière]]. ''Papillon'' Reprints: Hart-Davis, MacGibbon Ltd. 1970. {{ISBN|0-246-63987-3}} (hbk); Perennial, 2001. {{ISBN|0-06-093479-4}} (sbk).
* John Gimlette, ''Wild Coast: Travels on South America's Untamed Edge'' 2011
* {{cite book|author=Joshua R. Hyles|title=Guiana and the Shadows of Empire: Colonial and Cultural Negotiations at the Edge of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VTFXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA56|year=2013|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=9780739187807}}
* Peter Redfield. ''Space in the Tropics: From Convicts to Rockets in French Guiana'' {{ISBN|0-520-21985-6}}.
* Miranda Frances Spieler. ''Empire and Underworld: Captivity in French Guiana'' (Harvard University Press; 2012) studies slaves, criminals, indentured workers, and other marginalized people from 1789 to 1870.

==External links==
* [https://www.worldover.com/vital/french_guiana.html Worldover.com: French Guiana]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070405215304/http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1117.html Consular Information Sheet] from the [[United States Department of State]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070315221027/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=French%20Guiana Ethnologue French Guiana page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070426065007/http://kourou.cirad.fr/ Silvolab Guyanae – scientific interest group in French Guiana]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120322051928/http://www.luxner.com/cgi-bin/view_article.cgi?articleID=661 Article on separatism in French Guiana]
* [http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20frenchg.htm Status of Forests in French Guiana]
* [http://www.voyage-guyane.fr/ French Guiana Travel Guide, Good Addresses and Tips]
* [https://archive.is/20121208162312/http://www.infos-guyane.com/documents/english/ Officials reports, thesis, scientific papers about French Guiana (en|fr)]
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/01/europe/01legion.php Training legionnaires to fight in French Guiana]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070206024746/http://www.cayenne.ird.fr/aublet2/aublet2_uk.php3 The IRD's database AUBLET2 stores information about botanical specimens collected in the Guianas, mainly in French Guiana]
* James Rogers and Luis Simón. [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/sede300309studype407004_/SEDE300309StudyPE407004_en.pdf The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union and Their Potential Role for the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).] Brussels: European Parliament, 2009. 25 pp.

{{Geographic location
| Centre = {{flag|French Guiana|local}}
| N = ''[[Atlantic Ocean]]''
| NE = ''[[Atlantic Ocean]]''
| E = {{flag|Amapá}}, {{flag|Brazil}}
| SE = {{flag|Amapá}}, {{flag|Brazil}}
| S = {{flag|Amapá}}, {{flag|Brazil}}
| SW = {{flag|Amapá}}, {{flag|Brazil}}
| W = [[Sipaliwini District]], {{flag|Suriname}}
| NW = [[Marowijne District]], {{flag|Suriname}}
}}

{{Navboxes
|title = [[File:Nuvola apps kpdf2.png|25px]] Topics related to French Guiana
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|list1 =
{{Countries of South America}}
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}}

{{Portal bar|France|European Union|Geography}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:French Guiana| ]]
[[Category:Overseas departments of France]]
[[Category:Former colonies in South America]]
[[Category:Former French colonies]]
[[Category:French colonization of the Americas]]
[[Category:Departments of France]]
[[Category:Regions of France]]
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[[Category:French Caribbean|Guiana]]
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[[Category:Dependent territories in South America]]

Revision as of 19:51, 2 March 2021

From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.


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