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Background: First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou.
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Common Name: French Guiana
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Local Official Name: French Guiana
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Abbreviated Name: Department of Guiana
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Official Name: French Guiana
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Official Script Name: French Guiana
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Local Common Name: French Guiana
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Former Name: French Guiana
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Territory of: France
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Head of State: President Jacques CHIRAC of France
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Government Type: overseas department of France
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Independence: none (overseas department of France)
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Constitution: 1958 September 28 (French Constitution)
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National Holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July
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International Organization Participation: UPU, WCL, WFTU
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Administrative Divisions: none (overseas department of France)
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: French legal system
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Pierre LAFLAQUIERE (since 19 July 2006)
head of government: President of the General Council Pierre DESERT (since 26 March 2004); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
Legislative Branch:
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held in March 2000 (next to be held March 2006); Regional Council - last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - (second election results) percent of vote by party - PS 37.24%, UMP 31.58%, FDG/Walwari 31.18%; seats by party - PS 17, UMP 7, FDG/Walwari 7
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
Judicial Branch:
Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
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Party Leaders: Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Alix LABBE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Georges HABRAN-MERY]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Remi Louis DUBOC]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
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International Disputes: Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana
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Illicit Drugs: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
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Location of French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
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Continent: South America
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Land Area Total: 91,000 sq km
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Region: Southern American |
Land Area Land: 89,150 sq km
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Capitol City: Cayenne
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Land Area Water: 1,850 sq km
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Current:
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Latitude: 004 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 1,183 km
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Longitude: 053 00 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 378 km
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Arable Land: 0.13 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.04 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 851 m
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Location: Bellevue de l'Inini
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Atlantic Ocean
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Largest City in French Guiana:
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Largest City Population: 0
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Threatened Species: 46
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Environmental Issues: NA
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Environmental Agreements: NA
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Irrigated Land: 20
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Bordering Countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
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Natural Resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
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Geographical Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
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Comparative Area of French Guiana: slightly smaller than Indiana
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French Guiana's Geography: mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in French Guiana.
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General Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
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Natural Hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
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Economic Overview: The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% 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.
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GDP: $1,551,000,000 USD
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Currency: euro
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GDP per Capita: $8,300 USD
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Currency Code: EUR
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GDP Growth Rate: 0.00 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% EUR
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Currency Exchange Rate History: euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 6.60 %
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GDP of Industry: 15.60 %
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GDP of Services: 77.80 % |
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Inflation Rate: 1.00 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 19.20 %
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Tourism: 0.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $135,500,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $135,500,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 465,200,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 432,600,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 6,600 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $800,300,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $0 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
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Primary Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
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Industrial Growth Rate: 0.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $625,000,000 USD - food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
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Import Partners: France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy
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Export Amount in USD: $137,500,000 USD - shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
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Export Partners: France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 62,630
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture: 18.2%, industry: 21.2%, services: 60.6%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 32 |
Number of People with Radios: 104,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 3 |
Number of People with Televisions: 30,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 51,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 98,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 106 |
Internet Users: 38,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .gf |
Newspapers: 10 |
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Two Letter Country Code: FG |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 594 |
Electricity Voltage: 220 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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Highways: 817 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 3,760 km
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Airports: 4 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 0 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.00 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: NA
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Ports and Harbors: Degrad des Cannes
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Population: 199,509 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 20.46 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 2.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 4.88 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.96% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.98 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 29,540 |
Population Female 0-14: 28,210 |
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Population Male 15-64: 69,302 |
Population Female 15-64: 59,980 |
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Population Male 65+: 6,350 |
Population Female 65+: 6,127 |
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Population 0-14: 28.90% |
Literacy Rate: 83.00% |
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Population 15-64: 64.80% |
Literacy rate of Males: 84.00% |
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Population 65+: 6.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 82.00% |
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Population that is Male: 56.00
% |
Population that is Female: 44.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 77.27 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 11.76 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 73.95 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 80.75 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.00%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 4.01
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Nationality: FRENCH GUIANESE
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Ethnic Groups: black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
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Primary Language: French
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Other Languages: French
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic
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Branches: no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
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Manpower Fit to Serve: NA years
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Manpower Available: 47,809 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 38,676 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.00
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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French Guiana Spa and Resort Directory
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French Guiana Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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French Guiana Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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French Guiana City Information Game Earn Real Money
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