II.

Land and Population

French Guiana lies in the equatorial forest zone of South America. It is separated from Brazil by the Tumuc-Humac mountain range on the south and by the Oyapock River on the east. The Maroni, Litani (Itany), and Lawa rivers mark its—partially disputed—boundary with Suriname on the west. The land rises from the low marshy coastal areas in the north, called the terres basses, through the broad central plateau, covered by dense tropical forest, to the terres hautes, or highlands, which ascend from foothills to the Eureupoucigne and Oroye ranges in the extreme south. The territory is well watered by numerous rivers that rise in the mountains and flow northwards to the Atlantic. The climate of French Guiana is tropical, with a mean annual temperature of 26.7° C (80° F). Cool, onshore breezes in the coastal zone fail to mitigate the effects of the high humidity. The dry season from June to November is succeeded by torrential rains achieving maximum intensity in April and May. The average annual rainfall at Cayenne is about 3,200 mm (126 in).

French Guiana has a population of 209,000 (2007 estimate); giving an average density (2007) of 2.3 people per sq km (6 people per sq mi). Life expectancy at birth (2007 estimate) is 74.1 years for men and 80.9 years for women. Most of the residents are Creoles: people of mixed white, Native American, and black African descent. Native Americans, descended from the aboriginal Arawak, Carib and Tupí-Guaraní groups, inhabit the remote interior of French Guiana. Virtually untouched by Western civilization, they have preserved their traditional customs. Along the rivers are the settlements of the Saramancas, Boeschs, and Bonis, whose forebears were fugitive black slaves. French is the official language, but Creole is also spoken.