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Dec 16, 2023 · Explore the geography, history, and culture of French Guiana, an overseas region of France in South America. Find maps of its administrative divisions, location, outline, physical features, and more.
Geographic map of French Guiana in 2009. Note: this map does not show the international Oyapock River Bridge which connects Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock (France) and Oiapoque (Brazil) and has been open to car traffic since March 2017.
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French Guiana, overseas territorial collectivity of France, situated on the northeastern coast of South America. French Guiana is bounded by Brazil to the south and east, Suriname to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast. The capital is Cayenne.
Geologically, the rock underlying French Guiana forms part of the crystalline massif of the Guiana Highlands. Rivers—which flow generally northeastward, to the sea—have greatly eroded the massif, and most of French Guiana is low-lying. The Maroni River forms the French Guiana–Suriname border in the west, and the Oyapock River forms the border with Brazil in the east. The Tumuc-Humac Mountains in the south reach an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 metres). Recent alluvial deposits have formed a swampy coastal plain southeast of Cayenne. Older alluvial deposits form a savanna west of Cayenne. Dense tropical forests (mostly hardwoods) predominate outside the coastal plain and cover more than nine-tenths of the land area.
French Guiana is subject to heavy rainfall between December and July; annual precipitation reaches 150 inches (3,800 mm) around Cayenne and tapers off toward the northeast. High temperatures predominate, and monthly averages vary between 77 and 80 °F (25 and 27 °C) at Cayenne. Wildlife includes tapirs, caimans, ocelots, sloths, great anteaters, and armadillos.
French Guiana’s population is principally Creole (mixed descent, also referred to as Guianese Mulatto), with minorities of metropolitan French, Haitians, Surinamese, Antilleans, Chinese, Brazilians, South Asians, and others. The principal languages spoken are French (official); Guianese Creole French; several indigenous languages, including Wayampi, Carib, and Emerillon; and the various languages of the immigrant communities. The principal religious affiliation is Christianity (primarily Roman Catholicism), adhered to by more than four-fifths of the population.
The populace is concentrated principally in and around Cayenne, the largest city, and the coastal regions; the interior is largely uninhabited. Demographic rates are those generally typical of a developing country. There was immigration from Southeast Asia, Haiti, and the French Caribbean territories beginning in the late 20th century.
French Guiana has a developing market economy, patterned on that of metropolitan France and sustained by aid and technical assistance from France. A rocket-launching base at Kourou, used by the European Space Agency, is of great importance to the economy, accounting for about one-fourth of the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). Services, manufacturing, and construction are the largest sectors of the economy. The gross national income (GNI) per capita is among the highest in South America.
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Agriculture produces only a small part of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates and centres on the growing of cassava, rice, bananas, and cabbages. Most small farms are worked and owned by families, but there are some large estates engaged in growing cash crops, largely for export to metropolitan France.
The heavily forested land includes valuable commercial species. Some forestland is reserved by the state, but most is open to exploitation. Most of the timber cut is used for industrial purposes, and of that about two-fifths is exported. Pastures support mainly cattle, pigs, and poultry. Meat and milk production is limited, and large quantities of both must be imported. Shrimps account for a large portion of the annual fish catch.
Mineral exploitation is of negligible importance, and French Guiana must import fossil fuels and metallic minerals. Gold and clays are the only minerals extracted.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Geography of French Guiana. Coordinates: 53°00′W. French Guiana is an overseas region of France, located on the northern coast of South America between Suriname and Brazil. The country is part of Caribbean South America and borders the North Atlantic Ocean.
Map of French Guiana. Cities. 1 Cayenne, the administrative capital of French Guiana. 2 Kourou, the city which hosts the space centre and Arianespace. 3 Saint-Laurent, on the Maroni River, which forms the natural border between Suriname and French Guyana.
See a political map and a satellite image of French Guiana, a South American region of France. Learn about its location, natural resources, cities, and more.
Oct 16, 2023 · Large detailed map of French Guiana. 2000x2413px / 2.04 Mb Go to Map. Administrative map of French Guiana. 2200x2732px / 718 Kb Go to Map. French Guiana road map. 2077x2344px / 801 Kb Go to Map. French Guiana political map. 978x1216px / 263 Kb Go to Map. French Guiana location on the South America map.
