French Guiana

French Guiana

AREA	83,534 sq km (35,253 sq miles).
POPULATION	152,300 (1995).
POPULATION DENSITY	1.8 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Cayenne
CAPITAL POPULATION	41,659 (1990).
GEOGRAPHY	French Guiana is situated on the northeast coast of South America and is bordered by Brazil to the south and the east and by Surinam to the west. The southern Serra Tumucumaque Mountains are part of the eastern frontier, whilst the rest is formed by the River Oyapock. Surinam is to the west along the rivers Maroni-Itani and to the north is the Atlantic coastline. Along the coast runs a belt of flat marshy land behind which the land rises to higher slopes and plains or savannah. The interior is comprised of equatorial jungle. Off the rugged coast lie the Iles du Salut and Devil's Island. Cayenne, the capital and chief port, is on the island of the same name at the mouth of the Cayenne River.
GOVERNMENT	French Guiana is an Overseas Department of France and, as such, is an integral part of the French Republic. Head of State: President Jacques Chirac since 1995, represented locally by Prefect Dominique Vian since 1997. Head of Government: Stephan Phinéra, President of the General Council since 1994.
LANGUAGE	The official language is French, though most of the population speak a Creole patois. English is widely spoken.
RELIGION	Roman Catholic.
STANDARD TIME	GMT - 3.
ELECTRICITY	220/127 volts AC, 50Hz.

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