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___ French Guiana

Guiana (Guyane) was an overseas department of France and is now a French region (région), located at the central northern coast of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean in north. Countries with international borders to French Guiana are Brazil and Suriname. With an area of 83,534 km², the country is about the size of Austria, or slightly larger than the U.S. state of South Carolina.

This page aims to give you an overview of French Guiana's art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.
Beside a country profile with facts and figures, the page contains links to sources which provide you with all the information you need to know about this South American part of France, e.g.: official web sites of French Guiana, country guides with travel and tourism information on accommodation, tourist attractions, events and more like weather information, maps, statistics and local newspapers from French Guiana.

Ariane 5 lift off, Kourou
Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift rocket starts from Europe’s Guiana Space Center in Kourou.
 

French Guiana | Guyane


Country Profile


Flag of France FG Fl
Flag (official the Flag of France is used) - not recognized Flag of Guiana

Background:
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.


border countries: Brazil, Suriname

related countries: France
 
where in is French Guiana

Official Name:
Guyane
short form: Guyane
int'l long form: French Guiana

ISO Country Code: gf

Time:
Local Time = UTC -3h
Actual Time: Sun-Mar-17  19:19

Country Calling Code: +594

Capital City: Cayenne

Other Cities:
Saint-Laurent-of-Maroni, Kourou

Government: Former French overseas département. Became a French region and was made part of France proper.

Geography:
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname.
Area: 83,534 km²
Terrain: Low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains.

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

People:
Population: 250,000 (2014)
Ethnic Groups: black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Religions: Roman Catholic
Languages: French
Literacy: 83%

Natural resources: Bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay.

Agriculture products: Corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry.

Industries: Construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining.

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of French Guiana

Ministère de l'Outre-Mer
Official site of the French Overseas Ministry (in French).

Préfecture de Guyane
The Prefecture of French Guiana with all sorts of information about French Guiana (in French).

Conseil Régional de la Guyane
Regional Council of French Guiana.


Weather
Meteo Antilles
Weather forecast Antilles and French Guiana.


Maps

 Political Map of French Guiana
Detailed Map of French Guiana.
French Guiana - Vegetation
Map of French Guiana's vegetation zones.

Google Earth Google Earth French Guiana
Searchable map and satellite view of French Guiana.
Google Earth Google Earth Cayenne
Searchable map and satellite view of French Guiana's capital city.
Google Earth Google Earth Kourou
Searchable map and satellite view of Kourou and the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Center.

Map of South America
Reference map of South America.

News

97320.com
News from Saint-Laurent du Maroni and French Guiana (in French).
blada
The little Journal of Kourou (in French).
 
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Arts & Culture

Musée des Cultures Guyanaise
Museum of French Guiana culture (in French).
Office Culturel de la Région Guyane
The Culture Office needs an update (in French).

Cimarrones
Chroniques du Maroni (in French)
Souzèv Kamalakuli Mato
The International Festival of Storytellers (in French).
 
 

Business & Economy


French Guiana Chamber of Commerce 
Site with a huge amount of data on the French Guyanese economy.
 

Destination French Guiana - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover French Guiana: accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, biking, hiking, climbing, cruising, diving, tours and much more.

Comité du Tourisme de Guyane
Tourist Board of French Guiana.

Guyane Guide
A comprehensive guide to French Guiana with information on art, culture travel and tourism and more (in French).
Terres de Guyane  
Portal site and online magazine for art, culture, tourism and more on French Guiana (in French).

Cities
97320.com
Portal site of Saint-Laurent du Maroni
 

Travel and Tour Consumer Information
 

Education

Guyane-éducation.org
A guide to education in French Guiana (in French)
Académie de la Guyane
Official site of the Academy (in French)
Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Official site of the University (in French)

 
 

Environment & Nature

IRD
Official IRD site, with various scientific articles on French Guyanese flora and fauna.
Silvolab-Guyane
Scientific interest group for the research on the tropical humid forest ecosystem in French Guiana.
Kwata
Association for the study and conservation of French Guyanese fauna.
Protected Environmental Zones
A guide to nature zones of French Guiana.
 
 

History

A little History
Very brief History of French Guiana.
Histoire
Time line of the history of French Guiana (in French).
 
 

Space

European Space Agency
The Ariane ground facilities in French Guiana.
Arianespace
European commercial launch service providing heavy-lift launchers to place large satellites into any orbit.
Centre Spatial Guyanais
Official site of the French Guyanese Space Center
 
 

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Other Countries in South America:
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Guyana | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | Uruguay | Venezuela

Countries of Middle and Central America:
Belize | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Guatemala | Honduras | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama
 
 
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