French Guiana Country & Tourist Information

Location
South America, northeast coast.

Area
83,534 sq km (32,253 sq miles).

Population
178,000 (2005 estimate).

Population Density
2.1 per sq km.

Capital
Cayenne.
Population: 50,594 (1999).

Government
French Guiana is an Overseas Department of France and, as such, is an integral part of the French Republic.

Language
The official language is French, though most of the population speak a Creole patois. English is also widely spoken.

Religion
Roman Catholic majority, although there are other Christian churches.

Time
GMT - 3.

Electricity
220/127 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of State
President Nicolas Sarkozy since 2007, represented locally by Prefect Ange Mancini since 2002.

Recent History
French Guiana has held French Overseas Department Status since 1946. Since a series of reforms introduced under the Mitterand government in 1982-83, local affairs have been dealt with by the Regional Council. Antoine Karam, the president of the Regional Council since March 1992, is French Guiana’s single representative in the French Senate. Karam is a member of the Parti Socialiste Guyanais (PSG), which has long been the strongest political party and is allied to its French namesake. The other major parties are the Forces Démocratiques Guyanaises (FDG), allied with the Walwaries, and the center-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP), incorporating the old Rassemblement pour la République (RPR). The PSG is the largest party on the Regional Council following the most recent election in March 2004 in which it gained 17 of the 31 seats. (The FDG-Walwaries and UMP won seven seats each.) The domestic political agenda has been generally dominated by repeated complaints over the territory’s relatively poor social and economic conditions compared to those in France. The alternatives to being an integral part of the French state are self-government and independence. However, enthusiasm for either is lacking and the small independence movement has made little headway in recent years. Paris has also made it clear that it will not countenance any change in French Guiana’s status for the time being.

Telephone
Country code: 594.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators. Coverage is limited to main towns. Handsets can be hired locally.

Internet
There are Internet cafes in Cayenne, Kourou, Saint Laurent. Libraries also provide access.

Media



Post
Postal services are reliable in Cayenne (where the central post office is located on route Baduel); post takes around seven days to reach western Europe.

Post office hours: (In Cayenne) Mon-Fri 0700-1800.

Press
• The daily newspapers include France-Guyane and La Presse de Guyane.
• There are no English-language newspapers.

Radio
• Radio Guyane is operated by Réseau France Outre-mer.
• Radio Caraïbes International is a commercial station.

Below are listed Public holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period:

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day. 
24 Feb* Mardi Gras. 
25 Feb Ash Wednesday. 
22 Mar* Mi Carême (mid Lent). 
13 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
8 May VE Day.
21 May Ascension. 
1 Jun Whit Monday.
10 Jun Abolition of Slavery.
14 Jul Bastille Day.
15 Aug Assumption. 
15 Oct* Cayenne Festival.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
2 Nov* All Souls' Day.
11 Nov Remembrance Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day. 
15 Feb* Mardi Gras. 
16 Feb Ash Wednesday. 
14 Mar* Mi Carême (mid Lent). 
5 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
8 May VE Day.
13 May Ascension. 
24 May Whit Monday.
10 Jun Abolition of Slavery.
14 Jul Bastille Day.
15 Aug Assumption. 
15 Oct* Cayenne Festival.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
2 Nov* All Souls' Day.
11 Nov Remembrance Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

* Regional.

Contact Information:

Diplomatic Representation
French Guiana is an Overseas Department of the Republic of France, and is represented abroad by French Embassies – see France section.

Comité du Tourisme de la Guyane (Guiana Tourism Committee)
Street address: 12 rue Lallouette, 97338 Cayenne Cédex, French Guiana
Postal address: BP 801, Cayenne, French Guiana
Tel: (594) 296 500.
Website: www.tourisme-guyane.com

French Consulate General in the UK
21 Cromwell Road, London SW7 2EN, UK
Visa section: 6A Cromwell Place, London SW7 2EW, UK
Tel: (020) 7073 1200 (consular section) or 1250 (visa section) or 1295 (visa applications in progress; 1500-1700 only) or 09065 508 940 (visa information service; calls cost £1 per minute) or 266 654 (24-hour visa application form request service; calls cost £1.50 per minute) or 540 700 (24-hour automated visa appointment booking service).
Website: www.consulfrance-londres.org
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0845-1200 and Fri 0845-1130.

Comité du Tourisme de la Guyane (Guiana Tourism Committee) in France
1 rue Clapeyron, 75008 Paris, France
Tel: (01) 4294 1516.
Website: www.tourisme-guyane.com


Next Page »