French Guiana
French Guiana is a French overseas department located in northeastern South America along its Atlantic Ocean coast. With an area of 32,373 square miles (83,846 km2), it is roughly the size of New Jersey in the United States. As of 2022, its estimated population is 294,600 people. The capital and largest city is Cayenne.
French Guiana is bordered by Brazil to the south and east, Suriname to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast. Most of the territory is low-lying, with mountains in the south and a swampy coastal plain. The Maroni River forms the border with Suriname. The population is mostly Creole and speaks French (official) and Creole; nine out of ten inhabitants are Roman Catholic.
French Guiana is known as the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana). It is governed by a single legislative body, the Assembly, which consists of 51 members. Its official currency is the euro (€). The population density is 9.1 persons per square mile (3.5 per square km). In 2014, 84.1% of the population was considered urban, while 15.9% lived in rural areas. The life expectancy at birth for males in 2019 was 77 years, while that of females was 83.1 years. The gross national income (GNI) per capita (in U.S.$) was 17,767 in 2016.