French Guiana

From eTripTips Wiki

Flag
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.

[edit] Regions

Map of French Guiana

[edit] 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.

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] 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.

[edit] Climate

Tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation.

[edit] Landscape

Low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains, mostly an unsettled wilderness.

[edit] Get in

[edit] 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

[edit] By car

From Brazil and Suriname, you have to cross the rivers Oyapoque and Le Maroni.

[edit] By bus

From Brazil and Suriname, you can hit the frontier, then you have to cross the river.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

There is limited public transportation throughout the country. Minibuses go between major towns but there may only be a few per day. Fares are fixed per route; if only going partial distance to Cayenne you may have to pay the full fare. Eg. St. Laurent du Maroni to Kourou you may have to pay the full fare to Cayenne. Fare for St. Laurent to Cayenne is 35Euros.

[edit] Talk

French is the official language of France, although Creole is widely spoken. Everyone understands French but few people understand English. Most officials, police and gendarmes understand and speak english. But they may say they do not. They comprehend the English language very well as they are taught such in schools.

See also: French phrasebook

[edit] Buy

[edit] Eat

Place des Palmiste is a nice relaxing restaurant bar, where one can enjoy a cool drink and enjoy the view of the park.

[edit] Drink

Tafia is a local hard liquor that is widely drunk and use as medicinal purpose. one can drink it with lime juice or with salt and it is use in a drink called Planter, excellent.this is the best food ever

[edit] Sleep

Good hotels exist in major towns, but they can be relatively expensive.

St Laurent du Maroni

• Hotel Tentiaire

Kourou

• Hotel Ballahou
• Hotel des Roches
• Mercure Atlantis

Cayenne

• Novotel Cayenne
• Central Hotel
• Hotel la Bodega
• Best Western Amazonia

[edit] Learn

[edit] Work

For European people coming from an EU country, working in French Guiana 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.

[edit] Stay healthy

Vaccination against yellow fever is necessary.

[edit] Respect

[edit] Contact

WikiPedia:French Guiana

Dmoz:South America/French Guiana/ World66:southamerica/frenchguiana