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 French Guiana (including
Inini)| Facts & Figures |
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| Status: Overseas Department Prefect: Jean-Pierre
Laflaquière (2006) Land area: 34,421 sq mi (89,150 sq km);
total area: 35,135 sq mi (91,000 sq km) Population (2007 est.): 203,321 (growth
rate: 1.8%); birth rate 20.3/1000; infant mortality rate 11.8/1000;
life expectancy: 77.5; density per sq mi: 6 Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Cayenne, 60,500 Monetary unit: Franc More Facts & Figures |
French Guiana, lying north of Brazil and east of Suriname on the
northeast coast of South America, was variously settled by the Spanish,
Dutch, and French. The Treaty of Breda awarded France the territory in
1667. The French used it as a penal colony between 1852 and 1939, which
included the infamous Devil's Island. In 1947 it became an overseas
department of France. Since then, many indigenous French Guianians have
called for increased autonomy, although only around 5% favor independence
from France, partly due to the vast subsidies from the French government.
The European Space Center at Kourou has brought a corner of French Guiana
into the modern world and attracted a sizable expatriate workforce.
See also
Encyclopedia:
French Guiana
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