Figure 1.-- French President Nicolas Sarkozy here is visiting Amer-Indian village of Camopi in the eastern area of the Guiana overseas department (February 11, 2008). It is a Teko village. The Teko are a Tupi–Guarani-speaking people living on the banks of the Camopi and Tampok rivers. Their subsistence is based on horticulture, hunting and various fishing methods. Their villages were usually located at a distance from the rivers for protection from French slave raids,but are now located on th rivers which you can see in the background. Notice the tricolor band that the village major is wearing.

Native American peoples occupied the northern edges of South America for centuries. From here the population of the Caribbeab began. The first European to reach what is now French Guiana was Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to this New World (1498). The Europeans who subsequently attemoted to settle the Guianas were entirely unprepared for the inhospitable jungle conditions. Most died at the hands of Native Americans effectively defending the interior as well as deadly tropical disease. We have a detailed history page. French Guiana (Guyane française) is one of the three Guianas located at the northeastern corner of South America. It is today the only part of South America that is not independent, wedged between Surinam and Brazil. It is governed as a department of metropolitan France. The people have the same rights and privileges enjoyed by all other French citizens. It is a little bit of South America that has not been significantly developed, extending from the Atlantic coast into the northern Amazonian basin. Tropical French Guiana is sparsely populated. There are beautuful pristine rainforests. As a result, it has some of the most diverse plant and animal life in the world. The people are a mixture of Native Americans, former slaves, and French, some of who are the paroled convicts. It is the wealthiest corner of the continent, heavily subsidized by France. People in neigboring Brazil and Suriname try to cross the border because of the high wage rates. The European uses Kourou as a stable base for their space program. Despite this modern image, French Guiana is perhaps best known a kind of huge penal colony where Papillon and Alfred Dreyfus were left to rot away.

Geography

French Guiana (Guyane française) is one of the three Guianas located at the northeastern corner of South America. Geologically French Guiana is part of the crystalline massif or group of mountains forming the Guiana Highlands which dominate all three of the Guianas. Rivers dominate the colony/province and are the main form of transport into the interior. The rivers mostly flow northeastward from the interior Guiana Highlands into the sea. Over geological time, the rivers have significantly eroded the massif. As a result, most of French Guiana is now low-lying. The Maroni River is the border with Suriname border in the west. The Oyapock River is the border with Brazil in the east. The Tumuc-Humac Mountains in the south rises to an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 metres). To the north rivers flow toward the Atlantic coast. To the south rivers form tributaries of the Amazon. The northerly flowing rivers from the Highlands have carried alluvial deposits creating a swampy coastal plain southeast of the capital at Cayenne. The river pictured on the geography page is a good example (figure 1). Much older alluvial deposits form a savanna west of Cayenne. Dense tropical forests dominted by hardwoods dominate beyond the coastal plain and thus some 90 percent of French Guiana's land area. All three Guianas are located just north of the equator which passed thrpugh norther Brazil to the south. The result is a warm, tropical climate. Temperatures averge 77-80 °F (25 and 27 °C) at Cayenne with only minor seasonal differebces. French Guiana is subject to heavy rainfall between December and July; annual precipitation reaches 150 inches (3,800 mm) around Cayenne and tapers off toward the northeast.

History

Native American peoples occupied the northern edges of South America for centuries. From here the population of the Caribbeab began. The first European to reach what is now French Guiana was Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to this New World (1498). The Europeans who subsequently attemoted to settle the Guianas were entirely unprepared for the inhospitable jungle conditions. Most died at the hands of Native Americans effectively defending the interior as well as deadly tropical disease. French Guiana is today the only part of South America that is not independent, wedged between Surinam and Brazil. It is governed as a department of metropolitan France. The people have the same rights and privileges enjoyed by all other French citizens.

Economy

Frenh Guiana is a little bit of South America that has not been significantly developed, extending from the Atlantic coast into the northern Amazonian basin. The Europeans who initially arrived were looking for gold. Gradually plabtations were founded to grow sugar and ither crops. The Europens were unavle to enslave the indigenous population so enslved Africans were brought in to work on the plntations. The plantations were located along the costal plain as the French never penetated deep into the interior. It is today the wealthiest corner of the continent, heavily subsidized by France. People in neigboring Brazil and Surinam try to cross the border because of the high wage rates. The economy is heavily dependent on substantial French subsidies. Other than the subsidies, the French hve no made a major effort to develop a local economy and the subsidies have meant that nuch of the population has noy be incentified to create a modern economy. Gold mining is one of the most profitable sector. There is also some fishing and logging. The Guiana Space Centre is an important employer, although this has been declining in recent years. It has played a role in the local economy since it was established at Kourou (1964). The largely unused Atlantic to the north is a safer area to lunvh rockers thn off the French coast. There is almost no mnufcturing. And surprisingly evn agriculture is largely undeveloped. largely limited to the coastal plain and along the Maroni River. Most of the interior is uninavoyed and undeveloped. Unemployment as in France itself as been high in French Guiana, even higher than in France. Great social discontent has been reported in recent years and the French are unsure what to do about it. This is in part due to France's socilist economic and welfare policies and a poorly educated population that is unprepared to work in a modern economy. Journalistic reports describe a rising crime rate and an increasingly problamatic security situation.

Flora and Fauna

Tropical French Guiana is sparsely populated. There are beautuful pristine rainforests. As a result, it has some of the most diverse plant and animal life in the world. Animal wildlife includes anteaters, armadillos, caimans, ocelots, sloths, and tapirs.

Ethnicity

The population of French Guiana is very diverse, probanly the most diverse in the Americas. The major components is Creole or Guianese Mulatto (about 40 percent). These are the descendents of the enslaved Africans imported by the French planters. The boys on the ethnicity page are a good example. The rest of the population is a diverse group of nearly 10 different etnicities, each constituting about 5-10 percent of the poulation. They include Antilleans, Chinese, Brazilians, French, Haitians, South Asians, Surinamese, and others. The French are one of the largest groups other than the Guianese mulatos, but still less than 10 percent. Many are descendents of paroled criminals because France used French Guiana as a prison colony. More than 70,000 French convicts were deported to French Guiana (1852-1939). Despite this modern image, French Guiana is perhaps best known a kind of huge penal colony where Papillon and Cpt. Alfred Dreyfus were most famously left to rot away. Other groups are the descdents of workers brought in by the French to work the plantations or in more recent years who have emigrated from neigboring countrues because of relatively high wage rates. The indigenous population rferred to as Antillians constitute about 5 percent of the population. Because of the varied origins, a range of languages are spoken. The official language is French. the most idely spoln language is Guianese Creole French. The indigenous languages are Wayampi, Carib, and Emerillon. Many also speak languages of the various immigrant communities. French Guiana is a highly urbanized society. Some 85 percent of the population live in cities and towns, primarily around Cayenne. Almost all of the rest of the population i located in the coasyal area. The interior is still largely unihabited.

Reigion

The primary religion because of the French colonial ruke is Christianity, mostly Roman Catholicism. Some 80 percent of the population is belived to be Roman Catholic. One of the humanitarian efforts of the Catholic Church was the community at Mana (1827–1946). It was founded by founded by Anne-Marie Javouhey, mother superior of the community of St. Joseph of Cluny. She and Father Francis Libermann established founded one of the few eductional efforts for the freed black slaves.

Created: 6:06 AM 5/22/2017
Last updated: 6:06 AM 5/22/2017