FRENCH GUIANA

French Guiana, overseas territorial collectivity of France, situated on the northeastern coast of South America. French Guiana is bounded by Brazil to the south and east, Suriname to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast. The capital is Cayenne.

Geologically, the rock underlying French Guiana forms part of the crystalline massif of the Guiana Highlands. Rivers—which flow generally northeastward, to the sea—have greatly eroded the massif, and most of French Guiana is low-lying. The Maroni River forms the French Guiana–Suriname border in the west, and the Oyapock River forms the border with Brazil in the east. The Tumuc-Humac Mountains in the south reach an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 metres). Recent alluvial deposits have formed a swampy coastal plain southeast of Cayenne. Older alluvial deposits form a savanna west of Cayenne. Dense tropical forests (mostly hardwoods) predominate outside the coastal plain and cover more than nine-tenths of the land area.

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. High temperatures predominate, and monthly averages vary between 77 and 80 °F (25 and 27 °C) at Cayenne. Wildlife includes tapirs, caimans, ocelots, sloths, great anteaters, and armadillos.

French Guiana’s population is principally Creole (mixed descent, also referred to as Guianese Mulatto), with minorities of metropolitan French, Haitians, Surinamese, Antilleans, Chinese, Brazilians, South Asians, and others. The principal languages spoken are French (official); Guianese Creole French; several indigenous languages, including Wayampi, Carib, and Emerillon; and the various languages of the immigrant communities. The principal religious affiliation is Christianity (primarily Roman Catholicism), adhered to by more than four-fifths of the population.