Capital: Cayenne
Population: 150 000
Official language: French
Majority group: the Creole (60%), either guyaneans (38,4%), martinican, guadeloupean, Haitian (17,3%), holy-lucien, surinamien, etc.
Minority groups: French (10% to 12%), Portuguese, Chinese hakka (4,2%), taki-taki (3%), Amerindian languages (4%: arawak, swivel, kalihna, palikour, wayampi, wayana), hmong (1,3%), etc.
Political system: the overseas French department (DOM)
Constitutional articles (language): art. 2 of the Constitution of 1992
Linguistic laws: all linguistic laws of Republic of which the law n° 84-747 of August 2 1984 relative to the expertises of the regions of Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique and the Union; the law n° 75-620 of July11 1975 relative to the education; the law n° 84-52 of January 26, 1984 considering the higher education; the law of orientation n° 89-486 of July 10, 1989 considering the education; the decree n° 93-535 of March 27, 1993 carrying approval of the notebook of the missions and the loads of the overseas French national Society of broadcasting and television for the (RFO).

I GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION
1 geographical situation
In the northeast of South America, between the Surinam and Brazil, the French Guyana (look at the card 1) constitutes since 1946 an overseas French department, like Martinique, Guadeloupe and the island of the Union (in the ocean Indian). Brief, the French Guyana is part of which one calls the DOM-TOM (look at the card). As overseas French department, Guyana is part of the European Union and constitutes a region "ultraperipheric" of Europe more precisely. Guyana forms the vast (being equivalent to 16% of the territory of the hexagon) and the less populated of the overseas French departments. It is also the only region of South America where the official language is neither Spanish nor Portuguese, but French. With the Surinam (of Dutch language) and Guyana (of English language), the French Guyana composes one of the three Guyana, territories previously abandoned by the Portuguese and the Spaniards. At the time of the census of 1990, its population was of 115 000 inhabitants. In 1997, it was estimated to 170 000 people and should reach more than 180 000 in the year 2000

2 the coastline of Guyana
The population of this French department, being equivalent more or less to the surface of Portugal, is concentrated to 80% along the 320 km of inshore strip edged by the Atlantic Ocean. Besides, the road network only goes against this inshore fringe, and that, from the northwest to the northeast while joining the cities of Saint-Laurent-Of-Maroni (to the west extremity: 20 000 inhabitants.) until Regina (eastward) on the Approuague stream, while passing by the cities of Sinnamary notably (3500 inhabitants.), Kourou (20 000 inhababitants.) and the county seat, Cayenne (70 000 hab., with his/her/its suburb of Matoury and Rémire-Montjoly). Since several years, the local administration projects to prolong the road network until Saint-Georges-Of-L'Oyapock (to the extremity), but the foreseen have been swallowed already without big even tangible results because of important accidents of land (marshes and zones flooded).

3 The hinterland
All the hinterland (90% of the territory) is covered of dense tropical forests and is not accessible, except the aerial way, that by boat thanks to the Maroni streams (that separates the Surinam and Guyana), Manna, Sinnamary, Approuague and Oyapook (that separates Guyana and Brazil). because of the numerous jumps and dangerous rapids, the dugout (usually motor-driven), generally built in a big trunk of tree, stay the craft the more used to reach first in the central massif, then in the mountains of Camopi and finally in the Tumuc-Humac mounts of the Guyana South (to the border of Brazil). Add that the French Guyana forms a sort of gigantic staircase that comes down from the south (mountains) northwards (coastal). Besides the French Guyana herself, the department consists of several inshore islands, as the island of Cayenne and the islands of the Salute of which the island of the Devil is the most known.