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| South America
- French Guiana |
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Location Overview
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| French Guiana is situated in the equatorial forest zone on the northeastern coast of South America. The offshore islands include the Îles du Salut, or Safety Islands, of which Devils Island is the best known. French Guiana is the oldest of the overseas possessions of France and the only French territory on the American mainland. The capital and main port is Cayenne, which had a population (1990) of 41,667. 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 3200 mm (about 126 in). 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. |
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