
French Guiana Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Cayenne |
| Government | Overseas department of France |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Area | 91,000 km2 |
| Population | 199,509 (July 2006 est.) |
| Language | French |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Calling Code | +594 |
| Internet TLD | .gf |
| Time Zone | UTC -3 |
French Guiana is in the Amazonia region of South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname.
Contents |
Regions
Roman Catholic
Cities
- Cayenne, the administrative capital of French Guiana
- Kourou, the city which hosts the space center and Arianespace
- Saint-Laurent, bordering the river of Le Maroni, which is the natural frontier between Surinam and Europe.
- Saint-Georges, bordering the river Oyapoque, which is the natural frontier between Brazil and Europe.
Other destinations
Understand
First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. It is the only portion of South America still governed by an overseas nation.
Climate
Tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation.
Landscape
Low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains, mostly an unsettled wilderness.
Get in
By plane
- From Surinam, with Surinam Airways
- From Brazil, with Penta or Air Caraibes
- From Martinique, Guadeloupe, with Air France and Air Caraibes
- From France mainland, with Air France
By car
From Brazil and Suriname, you have to cross the rivers Oyapoque and Le Maroni.
By bus
From Brazil and Suriname, you can hit the frontier, then you have to cross the river.
By boat
From Brazil and Suriname, to cross the rivers Oyapoque and Le Maroni, which takes 15 minutes, it's not very expensive, but you have to haggle.
Get around
3,300 km of French Guiana's waterways are navigable by native craft; 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers.
Talk
French is the official language of France, although Creole is widely spoken. Everyone understands French but few people understand English. See also: French phrasebook
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Learn
Work
For European people coming from an EU country, working in Guadeloupe is allowed without problem. If you're from outside the EU, you will probably need a work permit - check with the French Embassy in your country. Do not forget though that the unemployment rate is high. But if you work in the health sector (doctor, nurse), it will be much easier.
Voluntary service: Volontariat Civil à l'Aide Technique (VCAT), [1]. Conditions: you must be French or from another EU-member state or a country belonging to the European Economic Area. You must be over 18 and under 28 years old (inclusive). You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences.
Stay safe
Please take care of your belongings
Stay healthy
Vaccination against yellow fever is necessary.
Respect
Contact
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