DESCRIPTION
French Guiana is located on
the northern coast of South America. French Guiana is surrounded by
Brazil, Suriname and the Atlantic Ocean. It is an overseas protectorate
of France and its official language is French. The currency is the euro.
French Guiana is famous for the former penal settlement of Devil’s
Island and in modern times for the Guiana Space Center at Kourou where
the European Space probes are launched. The population of French Guiana
is approximately 209,000. The climate of French Guiana
is tropical and is influenced by the dense rainforest which covers most
of the country. French Guiana is heavily dependent on France for subsidies,
trade, and goods. The main industries are fishing (accounting for three-quarters
of foreign exports), gold mining and timber. There is very little manufacturing
in French Guiana. Agriculture is largely undeveloped and is mainly confined
to the area near the coast. Sugar and bananas are two of the main cash
crops grown for export. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is slowly growing
in popularity.