Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname.
Land Area: 91,000 square kilometers (35,135 sq. miles)
Coastline: 378 km (235 miles)
Highest Point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 meters (2,791 feet)
Lowest Point: 0 meters (Atlantic Ocean)
Notable Landmarks: Take a peek...

The economy is tied closely to the larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25 percent of the Gross Domestic Product), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90 percent of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that 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.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $1.551 billion (2003 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $8,300 dollars (2001 est.)
Number of Workers: 58,800 (1997 data)
Unemployment Rate: 22 % (2001 est.)
Industries: Construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Currency: Euro What does it look like?

Type of Government: overseas department of France
Head of State: President Jacques Chirac of France (since 17 May 1995)
Head of Government: President of the General Council Joseph Hotenyou (since 26 March 2001)
Capital City: Cayenne
Legal Age to Vote: 18, universal
Flag Design: French Guiana uses the flag of France.
Official Language: French
Religions: Roman Catholic

The original inhabitants of French Guiana were Carib and Arawak Indians. By the mid-17th century, the Dutch, British and French had all established colonies in the area. France gained control in 1817. About 1850, it was decided that prison colonies in Guiana would reduce the cost of prisons in France and help develop the colony. About 70,000 prisoners were sent to Guiana between 1852 and 1939. Those who survived their first sentence stayed as exiles for an equal period of time. Ninety percent of them died from yellow fever or malaria. Guiana stopped being a prison colony and became a department of France in 1946. The country receives vast subsidies from Paris; therefore, only a small percentage of the population would vote for independence.