French Guiana

French Guiana: from rivers of Stars

French enclave in South America, French Guiana is the largest overseas department.

As land of potential, this genuine and dynamic region is full of life in all its forms.

When exploring this territory, one encounters a mosaic of villages and cultural mix that combines tradition and know-how.

With its majestic Amazonian rainforest, mysterious and unique in the world, French Guiana contains the secrets of biodiversity.

It is also a land of innovation, where the ultramodern space centre is the take-off point for the Ariane, Soyuz and Vega rockets, the European industry flagships.

A bridge over the Oyapock River links, through Guiana, France with Brazil and South America with Europe.

Location

Guyana is located in the Northeast of South America, between Suriname and Brazil. It is an overseas department-region (DROM in French) having an area of 83,853 km².

Thus, it is the second largest region in France, behind New Aquitaine, with a population of 262,381 inhabitants, on January 1, 2018.

It is delimited:

  • To the north, by the coast which, as a whole, is flat and marshy and formed by recent alluvial soil;
  • To the east, by the Oyapock River, between Guiana and Brazil;
  • To the west, by the Maroni River, separating Guiana from Suriname;
  • To the south, the border with Brazil is materialized by the watershed with the Amazon basin.

Guyana has a 300-km coastline, 520-km border with Suriname and 700-km border with Brazil.

Cayenne is the chief town of the department and is located 7,072 km from Paris, 5,000 km from Rio de Janeiro and 5,000 km from New York.

Economy

French Guiana now has several dynamic economic sectors. First, the space industry, which continues to be the driver of the Guyanese economy representing 15% of the territory’s GDP and 4,500 jobs in 2017. It is followed by the Building & Public-Work sector. After a moderate period until 2016, the reactivation of public procurement is revitalizing this sector.

These are the pillars to which other drivers must be added. Thus, a transformation process of the economic fabric is currently driven by the territorial policy, by the support of sectors having in common the use of local resources: the timber sector, mining and extractive activities, tourism, agriculture and fishing.

In view of the cost of living impacted by the insufficient supply and the repercussion of the cost of importation, drivers should be established to enable wealth and job creation in order to reduce Guiana’s economic dependence.

Household consumption and business investment are oriented as shown by banking activity and car sales. Despite an unemployment rate of 26% according to the ILO since 2017, salaried and temporary employment has been however on the rise again.

In 2018, the magnitude of business creation is still growing and reaching a record level. The creation of individual companies is particularly strong. All sectors of activity are concerned by this dynamism.

 

Aerospace industry

The space industry, which continues to be the driver of the Guyanese economy representing 15% of the territory’s GDP and 4,500 jobs in 2017.

Building & Public-Work sector

After a moderate period until 2016, the reactivation of public procurement is revitalizing this sector.

Politics

Guiana has been an overseas department since 1946 and a region since the decentralization laws of 1982.

Guiana is part of the French administrative and political system. The State is represented on the territory by the Regional Prefect, who is responsible for national interests, compliance with law, security and administrative control. The Guyanese territory is organized into two districts, Cayenne and Saint-Laurent du Maroni, which is the sub-prefecture.

Since 2016, Guiana has been administered locally by the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, in wich each project is submitted to the vote of the territorial assembly, composed of 51 regional councillors, elected for a period of 6 years.

At the national level, Guiana is represented by parliamentarians, namely two deputies and two senators.

As an overseas department-region (DROM), Guiana is an integral part of the European Union within which it is an outermost region. As such, it benefits from “specific measures” aimed at adapting EU law considering the specific characteristics and constraints of these regions.

French Guiana in photos