Theme: CNES in French Guiana

French Guiana, which has been a French overseas department since 19 March 1946, has a surface area of 83,534 km². It is located in the North-Eastern part of South America and has common frontiers with Surinam in the West and Brazil in the South. (Its latitude ranges from 2° to 5° and its longitude from 51° to 54°).
French Guiana, 94% of which is covered with equatorial forest, has a climate with a very high rate of hydrometry, equal to 90%. The mean temperature is 27°C and the precipitation is heavy, in particular during the rainy season from April to June (about 3,500 mm/year).

French Guiana currently has a population of 185,000 (French census figures for 1st January 2004), most of whom live on the coastal strip, with a wide variety of origins: Creole (38 %), mainland France (10 %), Amerindian (5 %), Bushinenge, the black slaves who revolted and sought refuge in the depths of the forest and along the rivers (6 %), Hmong (1 %), Chinese (4 %), Caribbean (4 %) and immigrant (32 %). The main communes (municipalities) are Cayenne, the administrative capital, with a population of 50,395, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (19,167) and Kourou (19,074).

Along with its outstanding flora and fauna, French Guiana is undeniably rich in natural resources. Whether natural, historical, scientific or cultural, French Guiana has many advantages to offer.

Source IEDOM (Institut d'Emission des Départements d'Outre-Mer)