ofFrance)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
French Guiana Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is tied closely to that of France through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry which provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1992)
Labor force: 58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
Unemployment rate: 21.4% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 440 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 409.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Exports: $155 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners: France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997)
Imports: $625 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities: food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners: France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997)
Debt - external: $1.2 billion (1988)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Currency code: FRF; EUR
Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
French Guiana Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 47,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Radios: 104,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 30,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gf
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
French Guiana Transportation
Railways: 0 km (1995)
Highways: total: 1,817 km
paved: 817 km
unpaved: 1,000 km (1998)
Waterways: 3,300 km navigable by native craft
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers
Ports and harbors: Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du
Maroni
Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)
Airports: 11 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
French Guiana Military
Military branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military manpower - availability: males age 15–49: 49,495 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15–49: 32,052 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
French
