Map of French Guiana
French Guiana is a country in South America with its capital at Cayenne, home to about 293,996 people across 83,534 km². The interactive map below plots 7 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 1 ports recorded for French Guiana in YearMaps.
- Population
- 293,996
- Area
- 83,534 km²
- Capital
- Cayenne
- Continent
- South America
Interactive Map of French Guiana
Centred on Cayenne at 4.9330° N, 52.3300° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About French Guiana
French Guiana, also known by its French name Guyane or Guyane française, is an overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west and Brazil to the east and south, French Guiana covers a total area of 84,000 km2 (32,000 sq mi) and a land area of 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi). As of January 2026, it is home to 298,554 people.
French Guiana is the second-largest region of France, being approximately one-seventh the size of European France, and the largest outermost region within the European Union. It has a very low population density, with only 3.88 inhabitants per square kilometre (10.0/sq mi). About half of its residents live in its capital, Cayenne. Approximately 98.9% of French Guiana is covered by forests, much of it primeval rainforest. Guiana Amazonian Park, the largest national park in the European Union, covers 41% of French Guiana's territory.
Since December 2015, both the region and department have been ruled by a single assembly within the framework of a single territorial collectivity, the French Guiana Territorial Collectivity. This assembly, the French Guiana Assembly, replaced the former regional council and departmental council, which were dissolved. The French Guiana Assembly is in charge of regional and departmental government. Until September 30, 2026, its president was Gabriel Serville.
Fully integrated in the French Republic since 1946, French Guiana is a part of the European Union, and its official currency is the euro. A large part of French Guiana's economy depends on jobs and businesses associated with the presence of the Guiana Space Centre, now the European Space Agency's primary launch site near the equator. As elsewhere in France, the official language is standard French, but each ethnic community has its own language, of which French Guianese Creole, a French-based creole language, is the most widely spoken. French Guiana is the only territory on the continental mainland of the Americas that is still under the sovereignty of a European state.
The border between French Guiana and Brazil is the longest land border that France shares with another country, as well as one of only two borders that France shares with non-European states, the other being the border with Suriname in the west.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: French Guiana (CC BY-SA 4.0).
French Guiana in Depth
History
French Guiana was originally (and still is) inhabited by Indigenous people: Kalina or Galibi (speaking languages of the Cariban family), Lokono or Arawak (speaking languages of the Arawakan family), Palikur (Arawakan), Teko or Emerillon (Tupian), Wayampi (Tupian), and Wayana (Cariban). The French attempted to create a colony in the region in the 16th century in conjunction with its settlement of some Caribbean islands, such as Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue. The first French establishment is recorded in 1503, but France did not establish a durable presence until colonists founded Cayenne in 1643.
French Guiana was developed as a slave society, where planters trafficked Africans as enslaved labourers on large sugar and other plantations.
Geography
French Guiana lies between latitudes 2° and 6° N, and longitudes 51° and 55° W. It consists of two main geographical regions: a coastal strip where the majority of the people live, and dense, near-inaccessible rainforest that gradually rises to the modest peaks of the Tumuc-Humac mountains along the Brazilian frontier. French Guiana's highest peak is Bellevue de l'Inini in Maripasoula (851 m, 2,792 ft). Other mountains include Mont Itoupé (826 m, 2,710 ft), Cottica Mountain (744 m, 2,441 ft), Pic Coudreau (711 m, 2,333 ft), and Kaw Mountain (337 m, 1,106 ft).
Several small islands are found off the coast: the three Salvation's Islands, which include Devil's Island, and the isolated Îles du Connétable bird sanctuary further along the coast towards Brazil.
Economy
As a part of France, French Guiana is part of the European Union and the Eurozone; its currency is the euro. The country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for French Guiana is.gf, but.fr is generally used instead.
In 2019, the GDP of French Guiana at market exchange rates was US$4.93 billion (€4.41 billion), ranking as the 2nd largest economy in the Guianas after Guyana (which discovered large oil fields in 2015 and 2018), and the 12th largest in South America.
Demographics
French Guiana experienced a long period of demographic stagnation during the days of the Cayenne and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni penal colonies (19th century and first half of the 20th century), when, with the exception of a brief gold rush in the 1900s and 1910s, it suffered from a bad reputation due to its association with penal colonies and bad sanitary conditions (yellow fever and malaria in particular).
Population started to grow tremendously from the 1950s onwards with the improvement of sanitary conditions (yellow fever and malaria eradication campaigns started in 1949) and the establishment of the Guiana Space Centre in 1964.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: French Guiana (CC BY-SA 4.0).
French Guiana: Key Facts
| Official languages | French, Guianan Creole |
|---|---|
| Head of government | Rodolphe Alexandre |
| Calling code | +594 |
| Internet domain | .gf |
| Highest point | Bellevue de l'Inini |
| Established | 21 March 1946 |
Facts from Wikidata Q3769 (CC0).
History of French Guiana: Empires and States
The atlas records 9 polities whose mapped territory included part of French Guiana, from New France in 1670 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| New France | 1670–1790 CE | Most |
| Kingdom of France | 1670–1791 CE | Most |
| The Portuguese Empire | 1805–1814 CE | Nearly all |
| Bourbon Kingdom of France | 1815–1847 CE | Most |
| Second French Empire | 1853–1870 CE | Most |
| The French Colonial Empire | 1853–1939 CE | Most |
| French Third Republic | 1871–1939 CE | Most |
| French Fourth Republic | 1945–1957 CE | Most |
| French Fifth Republic | 1958–2024 CE | Most |
Historical Maps of French Guiana
French Guiana on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting French Guiana
French Guiana (French: Guyane or Guyane française) is an overseas French department and region in the Amazonia region of South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname. It is governed as an overseas department of France with the same rights and privileges granted to all other French departments, and it benefits financially from the arrangement. Compared to the other "Guianas" (Suriname and Guyana), French Guiana has the most visible preserved rainforest and a more relaxed and organized lifestyle, but also the highest prices and the least backpacker infrastructure.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: French Guiana (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in French Guiana
7 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cayenne | 61,550 | Guinaa | Populated place |
| 2 | Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni | 24,287 | Guinaa | Admin-1 region capital |
| 3 | Kourou | 24,029 | Guinaa | Populated place |
| 4 | Sinnamary | 3,180 | Guinaa | Populated place |
| 5 | Saint-Georges | 2,742 | Amapá | Populated place |
| 6 | Roura | 2,229 | Guinaa | Populated place |
| 7 | Iracoubo | 1,536 | Guinaa | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in French Guiana
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellevue de L'Inini | 851 m | 2,792 ft | South America |
Ports in French Guiana
1 port recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Degrad Des Cannes | 53 m | Very Small | Atlantic Coast of South America | large vessels |
States and Provinces of French Guiana
1 first-level divisions with their own map.
Countries Bordering French Guiana
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in South America
French Guiana: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of French Guiana?
- The capital of French Guiana is Cayenne.
- What is the population of French Guiana?
- French Guiana has a population of about 293,996, the #184 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: Wikidata.
- How big is French Guiana?
- French Guiana covers 83,534 km², ranking #118 by area, with about 4 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is French Guiana in?
- French Guiana is in South America.
- Which countries border French Guiana?
- French Guiana shares a land or maritime border with Brazil, Suriname.
- What is the largest city in French Guiana?
- Cayenne is the largest city in French Guiana, with a metropolitan population of about 61,550.
- What is the highest mountain in French Guiana?
- The highest summit recorded for French Guiana in YearMaps is Bellevue de L'Inini at 851 m (2,792 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.