French Guiana Vacation

Transport

frenchguianavacation — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:10:40 +0000

French Guiana’s main international airport is Cayenne-Rochambeau Airport, located in the commune of Matoury, a southern suburb of Cayenne. There are three flights a day to Paris (Orly Airport), served by Air France, Air Caraïbes and CorsairFly. The flight time from Cayenne to Paris is 8 hours and 25 minutes, and from Paris to Cayenne it is 9 hours and 10 minutes. There are also flights to Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre, Port-au-Prince, Miami, Macapá, Belém, and Fortaleza.

Land boundaries

frenchguianavacation — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:43:55 +0000

total: 1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km (disputed)
Coastline: 378 km

Mana

frenchguianavacation — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:28:44 +0000

Mana is a commune and town in French Guiana. It was founded it 1828 by Anne-Marie Javouhey. It borders the Mana river, whence it gets its name; and is nearby the Maroni river. Mana is the primary producter of rice in French Guiana, which it exports to Suriname.

On January 1, 1989 about 3% of the territory of Mana was detached and became the commune of Awala-Yalimapo.

Politics

frenchguianavacation — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:29:59 +0000

French Guiana, as part of France, is part of the European Union, the largest part in an area outside Europe, with one of the longest EU external boundaries. Along with the Spanish enclaves in Africa of Ceuta and Melilla, it is one of only three European Union territories outside Europe that are not an island. Its head of state is the President of the French Republic, who appoints a Prefect (resident at the Prefecture building in Cayenne) as his representative. There are two legislative bodies: the 19-member General Council and the 34-member Regional Council, both elected.

French Guiana sends two deputies to the French National Assembly, one representing the commune (municipality) of Cayenne and the commune of Macouria, and the other representing the rest of French Guiana. This latter constituency is the largest in the French Republic by land area. French Guiana also sends one senator to the French Senate.

French Guiana has traditionally been conservative, though the socialist party has been increasingly successful in recent years. Though many would like to see more autonomy for the region, support for complete independence is very low.

A chronic issue affecting French Guiana is the influx of illegal immigrants and clandestine gold prospectors from Brazil and Suriname. The border between the department and Suriname is formed by the Maroni River, which flows through rain forest and is difficult for the Gendarmerie and the French Foreign Legion to patrol. The border line with Suriname is disputed.

History

frenchguianavacation — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:35:45 +0000

French Guiana was originally inhabited by a number of indigenous American peoples. Settled by the French during the 17th century, it was the site of penal settlements from 1852 until 1951, which were known in the English-speaking world as Devil’s Island. A border dispute with Brazil arose in the late nineteenth century over a vast area of jungle, leading to the short-lived pro-French independent state of Counani in the disputed territory and some fighting between settlers, before the dispute was resolved largely in favour of Brazil by the arbitration of the Swiss government. In 1946, French Guiana became an overseas department of France. The 1970s saw the settlement of Hmong refugees from Laos. A movement for increased autonomy from France gained momentum in the 1970s and 1980s. Protests by those calling for more autonomy have become increasingly vocal; demonstrations in 1996, 1997 and 2000 all ended in violence.

When to Go

frenchguianavacation — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:37:11 +0000

Expect a soggy trip from January to June, with the heaviest rains occurring in May. The dry season, from July to December, may be the most comfortable time to visit. French Guiana maintains a toasty (average 28ºC/83ºF) and humid climate year round. Travel with light clothing and a poncho.

Cayenne

frenchguianavacation — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:26:29 +0000

Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas région and département of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast.

At the 1999 census, there were 66,149 inhabitants in the urban area of Cayenne (as defined by INSEE), 50,594 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Cayenne proper, and the remainder in the neighbouring commune of Remire-Montjoly. The commune of Matoury (18,032 inhabitants in 1999), where the Cayenne-Rochambeau Airport is located, is also a suburb of Cayenne, but it wasn’t included in the official definition of the urban area by INSEE in 1999. Including Matoury, the whole conurbation had 84,181 inhabitants in 1999. By 2007 the area’s population may have exceeded 100,000.

French Guiana

frenchguianavacation — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:25:57 +0000

French Guiana (French: Guyane française, officially Guyane) is an overseas department (French: département d’outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located on the northern coast of South America. Like the other DOMs, French Guiana is also an overseas region of France, one of the 26 regions of France. It is an integral part of France, and its currency is the Euro.