| Geography and Climate |
French Guiana is located in Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname. Area comparatively slightly smaller than Indiana. Total land boundary is 1,183 km, border countries are Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km.
French Guiana has a tropical climate; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation. Terrain consists of low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains. Elevation extreme has the lowest point in Atlantic Ocean 0 m and highest point in Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m. Natural resources are bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish. Land use: arable land: 0%, permanent crops: 0%, permanent pastures: 0%, forests and woodland: 83%, other: 17% (1993 est.). Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.). Natural hazards are high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding.
Geography—note: mostly an unsettled wilderness
Ref. Anonymous, 1999 |