French Guiana
Americas ยท Capital: Cayenne
How it is run: French Guiana is a territory or observer, so some decisions about it are made elsewhere. The research links below explain who is in charge.
French Guiana is home to a community in South America, where people speak French.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
Not counted in world data
๐บ๏ธ Land
83,534 kmยฒ
Roughly the size of Italy or the state of Arizona.
๐๏ธ How crowded
Not enough data
๐ Size in its region
Part of Americas
21st largest by land in Americas.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
French
๐ฐ Money
Euro (โฌ)
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+594
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.gf
๐ง People here are called
Guianan
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
Guyane franรงaise
Also written: Guiana, Guyane.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Not a UN member
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
French Guiana touches 2 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Guayana Francesa
French
Guyane
Arabic
ุบููุงูุง
Chinese
ๆณๅฑๅญไบ้ฃ
Japanese
ใใฉใณใน้ ใฎใขใ
Russian
ะคัะฐะฝััะทัะบะฐั ะะฒะธะฐะฝะฐ
Portuguese
Guiana Francesa
German
Franzรถsisch-Guayana
Put it in perspective ๐
- French Guiana covers roughly 796 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: French Guiana is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Guiana
๐๏ธ Capital
Cayenne
๐ Region
Americas ยท South America
๐ค Country code
GF
๐๏ธ UN status
Not a UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Linked territory
More about French Guiana ๐
๐งญ Where on the map
4.0ยฐ N, 53.0ยฐ W
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Western hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC-4 โ when it is noon in London it is about 08:00 in Cayenne.
- ๐ฌ๐ซ is the flag of French Guiana. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is GF.
- French Guiana lies in the tropics, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, so the sun gets very high overhead.
- French Guiana is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
- French Guiana is a territory linked to another country, so some decisions are made elsewhere.
- French Guiana sits in South America, in the northern and western half of the globe.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- French Guiana has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- French Guiana can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If French Guiana spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of French Guiana?
Cayenne
Which money do people spend in French Guiana?
Euro (โฌ)
How many countries share a land border with French Guiana?
2 โ Brazil, Suriname.
Roughly how many people live in French Guiana?
World data does not count this place separately.
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.