French Guiana
- Total forest area: 80,630 km²
- Estimated deforestation: 2.6 % of forest area 1990-2005.
- Population: 187,200 (via UN, 2006)
- Forest cover: 94.3%
French Guiana is a region of France on the north-east coast of South America. A tiny territory with a population of under 200,000, its economy is tied to the larger French economy through subsidies and trade links.
The population is largely concentrated in coastal areas, and much of the interior is accessible only by river. A lack of infrastructure limits great potential for tourism.
Fishing and forestry are the territory?s most important economic activities and reserves of tropical hardwood support an expanding sawmill industry providing timber for export.
(Sources: Conservation International, FAO, mongabay.com, Oxford University Environmental Change Institute, UN, WWF)
Gold threat to French Guiana paradise