View source for Geography of French Guiana

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<!--[[Image:Guyane map-en.svg|thumb|right|Geographic map of French Guiana]]-->

'''[[French Guiana]]''' is an [[overseas region]] of [[France]], located on the northern coast of South America between [[Suriname]] and Brazil. The country is part of [[Caribbean South America]] and borders the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]. It has low-lying plains with small mountains to the south. Its climate is split between tropical rainforest and tropical monsoon. 

French Guiana is situated on the northeast coast of South America between 2° and 5° latitude north and covers an area of 90,999&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (35,135 square miles). It is separated from [[Suriname|Surinam]] (Dutch Guiana) by the [[Maroni (river)|Maroni River]] and two of its tributaries, the Aoua and Itany, in the west, and from Brazil by the [[Tumuc-Humac Mountains|Tumuc Humac Mountains]] in the south and the [[Oyapock River]] in the east. Its 320-km (200-mile) Atlantic coastline is bordered by several rocky islands&nbsp;– the [[Îles du Salut]] (Devil's Island, Royale and Saint-Joseph), the Père and Mère Islands, Malingre Island and Rémire Island, and the two Connétables—which are all part of French Guiana.

==Statistics==
{{contradict other|French Guiana|discuss=Talk:Geography of French Guiana#Area?|date=December 2023}}
{{no sources section|date=December 2023}}
=== Area ===
Land: 83,534&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ballère |first1=Marie |last2=Bouvet |first2=Alexandre |last3=Mermoz |first3=Stéphane |last4=Le Toan |first4=Thuy |last5=Koleck |first5=Thierry |last6=Bedeau |first6=Caroline |last7=André |first7=Mathilde |last8=Forestier |first8=Elodie |last9=Frison |first9=Pierre-Louis |last10=Lardeux |first10=Cédric |date=2021-01-01 |title=SAR data for tropical forest disturbance alerts in French Guiana: Benefit over optical imagery |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0034425720305320 |journal=Remote Sensing of Environment |volume=252 |article-number=112159 |doi=10.1016/j.rse.2020.112159 |issn=0034-4257}}</ref>

=== Land boundaries ===
Total: 1,183&nbsp;km<br>
Border countries: Brazil 673&nbsp;km, Suriname 510&nbsp;km (disputed)<br>
Coastline: 378&nbsp;km

===Maritime claims===
Exclusive economic zone: {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}}
territorial sea: {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on}}.

===Land cover===
Primary Forest: 95%<ref name=":0" />

===Natural resources===
[[Bauxite]], timber, gold (widely scattered), [[cinnabar]], [[kaolin]], fish, shrimp, rice, bananas.

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map GUF present.svg|thumb|Köppen climate classification map of French Guiana.|434x434px]]

==Climate==
[[French Guiana]]'s climate is tropical and hot with a [[Köppen climate classification]] of [[Tropical rainforest climate|tropical rainforest]] (A''f'') throughout most of the country. Heavy showers, severe thunderstorms, and floodings are frequent, as is intense heat and humidity.

Although French Guiana is very close to the equator, the trade winds which blow almost the year round refresh the coastal region and prevent the formation of great tropical storms. The annual mean temperature on the coast is {{convert|80|F}}. There are two principal seasons: "summer" from July to December and the "rainy season" the rest of the year, broken only by a Short "March Summer."

{{Weather box
|width = auto 
|location = [[Cayenne]] (Köppen Am/Af)
|collapsed = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 32.5
|Feb record high C = 32.3
|Mar record high C = 32.2
|Apr record high C = 33.0
|May record high C = 33.2
|Jun record high C = 33.7
|Jul record high C = 34.5
|Aug record high C = 35.0
|Sep record high C = 35.2
|Oct record high C = 35.1
|Nov record high C = 34.6
|Dec record high C = 34.1
|Jan high C = 29.1
|Feb high C = 29.2
|Mar high C = 29.6
|Apr high C = 29.9
|May high C = 29.9
|Jun high C = 30.2
|Jul high C = 30.8
|Aug high C = 31.6
|Sep high C = 32.1
|Oct high C = 32.2
|Nov high C = 31.5
|Dec high C = 30.1
|year high C = 30.5
|Jan mean C = 26.2
|Feb mean C = 26.3
|Mar mean C = 26.5
|Apr mean C = 26.8
|May mean C = 26.7
|Jun mean C = 26.6
|Jul mean C = 26.6
|Aug mean C = 27.0
|Sep mean C = 27.2
|Oct mean C = 27.3
|Nov mean C = 27.0
|Dec mean C = 26.6
|year mean C = 26.7
|Jan low C = 23.3
|Feb low C = 23.4
|Mar low C = 23.5
|Apr low C = 23.7
|May low C = 23.5
|Jun low C = 22.9
|Jul low C = 22.4
|Aug low C = 22.4
|Sep low C = 22.2
|Oct low C = 22.3
|Nov low C = 22.5
|Dec low C = 23.1
|year low C = 22.9
|Jan record low C = 17.4
|Feb record low C = 18.9
|Mar record low C = 18.5
|Apr record low C = 19.0
|May record low C = 18.8
|Jun record low C = 18.9
|Jul record low C = 19.0
|Aug record low C = 19.0
|Sep record low C = 18.7
|Oct record low C = 18.6
|Nov record low C = 17.2
|Dec record low C = 18.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 451.2
|Feb rain mm = 309.4
|Mar rain mm = 334.3
|Apr rain mm = 448.4
|May rain mm = 579.4
|Jun rain mm = 411.4
|Jul rain mm = 245.7
|Aug rain mm = 143.6
|Sep rain mm = 55.7
|Oct rain mm = 63.3
|Nov rain mm = 133.4
|Dec rain mm = 340.5
|year rain mm = 3516.3
|unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 23.6
|Feb rain days = 20.0
|Mar rain days = 20.7
|Apr rain days = 22.2
|May rain days = 26.4
|Jun rain days = 25.2
|Jul rain days = 20.6
|Aug rain days = 14.2
|Sep rain days = 7.1
|Oct rain days = 7.6
|Nov rain days = 11.9
|Dec rain days = 21.6
|year rain days = 221.1
|Jan humidity = 82
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 84
|May humidity = 85
|Jun humidity = 82
|Jul humidity = 78
|Aug humidity = 74
|Sep humidity = 71
|Oct humidity = 71
|Nov humidity = 76
|Dec humidity = 81
|Jan sun = 95.1
|Feb sun = 92.4
|Mar sun = 120.0
|Apr sun = 123.5
|May sun = 122.4
|Jun sun = 150.4
|Jul sun = 200.5
|Aug sun = 234.4
|Sep sun = 253.4
|Oct sun = 256.4
|Nov sun = 211.5
|Dec sun = 143.3
|year sun = 2003.0
|source 1 = [[Meteo France]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/cayenne/97307001/normales|title=Climatological Information for Cayenne, France|publisher=Meteo France|date=7 August 2019|access-date=18 August 2022|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727183826/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/cayenne/97307001/normales|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_97307001.pdf
| title = CAYENNE–MATOURY (973)
| work = Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 7 August 2019}}</ref>

}}

==Terrain==
{{See also|Guiana Shield}}
French Guiana extends almost 400&nbsp;km (250 miles) into the continent and is divided into two natural zones: a small, low, swampy coastal area called the "Terres Basses," varying from 16 to 48&nbsp;km in width, and a granite [[peneplain]] called the "Terres Hautes," worn down by erosion into steps forming a series of low steep hills. Almost the entire country is covered by rain forest and its many large rivers and streams, although their courses are broken by rapids, constitute the only natural means of penetration into the interior. The main rivers, flowing in a general south–north direction, are the [[Maroni (river)|Maroni]], the [[Mana (French Guiana)|Mana]], the [[Iracoubo (river)|Iracoubo]], the [[Sinnamary (river)|Sinnamary]], the [[Kourou (river)|Kourou]], the [[Mahury]], the [[Approuague]] and the [[Oyapock]].

==Extreme Points==
[[File:FrenchGuianaOSM2025.png|thumb|Detailed map of French Guiana]]
* Northernmost point – [[Pointe Isère]]
* Southernmost point – [[Brazil–France border|border with Brazil]], [[Maripasoula]]
* Westernmost point – disputed, see [[France–Suriname relations]]
** assuming France's claim: tripoint with Suriname and Brazil, [[Maripasoula]]
** assuming Suriname's claim: point on [[Maroni (river)|Maroni]], [[Apatou]]
* Easternmost point – mouth of [[Oyapock]], [[Saint-Georges, French Guiana|Saint-Georges]] commune (but near the village of [[Ouanary]])
* Highest point – [[Bellevue de l'Inini]]: 851 m
* Lowest point – Atlantic Ocean: 0 m

== See also ==

* [[Geography of Suriname]]
* [[Guiana Shield]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{CIA World Factbook}}

{{Source-attribution|{{Cite book|last=France.|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102674932|title=France overseas|date=1961–1962|publisher=Ambassade de France, Service de presse et d'information|location=New York}}}}
{{Geography of South America}}
{{South America topic|Climate of}}

{{Coord|4|00|N|53|00|W|display=title}}

[[Category:Geography of French Guiana| ]]