Friday, July 12, 2013

French Guiana


French Guiana

Sent by Chunly from Jahouvey in French Guiana.

French Guiana (French: Guyane française; officially just Guiana, French: Guyane) is an overseas region of France on the north Atlantic coast of South America. It borders Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi) area has a very low population density of less than 3 inhabitants per km2, with half of its 239,450 people in 2012 living in the metropolitan area of Cayenne, its capital. By land area it is by far the largest overseas region of France. As an oversea region, it is inside the European Union.
The addition of the adjective "French" in English comes from colonial times when five such colonies existed (The Guianas), namely from west to east: Spanish Guiana (now Guayana Region in Venezuela), British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), French Guiana, and Portuguese Guiana (now Amapá, a state in far northern Brazil). French Guiana and the two larger countries to the north and west, Guyana and Suriname, are still often collectively referred to as the Guianas and comprise one large shield landmass.
A large part of the department's economy derives from the presence of the Guiana Space Centre, now the European Space Agency's primary launch site near the equator. (read further)


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