The Guianas

Region in north-central South America

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We include updates on Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Bush dog, Devil's Island, Mike Maignan, Odsonne Édouard, Margay, Oncilla, Indigenous peoples of South America, Cyrille Regis, Kalina people, Amapá, Emerald tree boa, Guiana Shield, Flag of French Guiana ... and more.

2025 The French Ministry of Justice announced plans to build a prison in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
2025 A new European Ariane 6 rocket was successfully launched from Kourou, providing Europe independent access to space.
2025 An Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards (EDA-S) landing craft is scheduled to be delivered to naval forces in French Guiana to support coastal and riverine operations.
January 2025 INSEE estimated the population of French Guiana at 292,354, over 10 times the population in 1954, though lower than previous population forecasts.
2024 Macron recognized Brazilian Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire with the Legion of Honor medal for rainforest conservation efforts.
2024 President Macron visited French Guiana to commemorate French special forces major Arnaud Blanc who died during an operation against illegal gold mining in Maripasoula. He also visited the Guiana Space Centre and met with local officials.
2023 Riots broke out following the death of Nahel M in a Paris suburb, resulting in the death of a government worker from a mosquito control office.
2022 The Maritime Gendarmerie deployed the patrol boat Charente to replace the previous boat Mahury, which was no longer considered serviceable.
June 2022
Politics of French Guiana
National Assembly elections held in French Guiana, with Jean-Victor Castor (Decolonization and Social Emancipation Movement) and Davy Rimane (La France Insoumise) elected as deputies.
2021 Gabriel Serville was elected as president of the Assembly of French Guiana, beginning a six-year term.
2021 An INSEE report revealed that 37% of individuals aged 21 to 29 leave the region to pursue education or employment opportunities abroad.
2021
Politics of French Guiana
Gabriel Serville became the President of the Guianese Assembly.
2021
Economy of French Guiana
Construction began on a combined power plant featuring 55 MW solar capacity, 3 MW hydrogen fuel cell, 20 MW/38 MWh battery, and 16 MW hydrogen electrolyser with 88 MWh storage, representing a significant infrastructure development in French Guiana's energy sector.
2021 Tour of Guiana was again canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021 A census was conducted in French Guiana, documenting population statistics for major metropolitan areas including Cayenne (151,103 residents), Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (50,250 residents), and Kourou (27,442 residents).
2020 French Guiana experiences a moderate recession of -2.7% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 Marie-Laure Phinéra-Horth became the first woman to be elected to the French Guiana Senate.
2020 Tour of Guiana could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 2020 By the end of June, more than 1% of French Guianese tested positive for COVID-19.
2019 Recorded highest fertility rate in Latin America at 27.3 births per 1,000 people, with an average of 3.63 children per woman.
2019 A census was conducted in French Guiana revealing the demographic composition, including that 56.5% of inhabitants were born in French Guiana, 8.9% in Metropolitan France, 2.8% in French Caribbean departments, and 31.5% in foreign countries.
2019 Census data shows an increase in immigrant population to 30.5%, with ongoing migration from Syria, Cuba, Yemen, and Palestine seeking refuge in French Guiana as a gateway to Europe.
2019 Unemployment declines to 19.3%, and the GDP per capita at market exchange rates is US$17,375, which is 42.3% of metropolitan France's average.
2018 The total fertility rate settled at 3.82, maintaining a significantly higher reproductive rate compared to metropolitan France's 1.84.
2017 Social unrest occurs, leading to almost no economic growth for the year.
2017 Significant social unrest occurred, leading to an economic recession in 2018 and triggering increased emigration of young people to Metropolitan France.
2017 French Guiana experienced a fertility rate peak at 3.93, highlighting the continued high population growth trend.
2016
Politics of French Guiana
The Assembly of French Guiana was established, replacing the previous General Council and Regional Council administrative structures.
2016 Unemployment reaches a peak of 23.0%, highlighting economic difficulties in the region.
2015 The first election for the Assembly of French Guiana was held, replacing the previous General Council and Regional Council.
2015 French Guiana experiences economic challenges, with GDP per capita declining relative to metropolitan France.
2013 Census data reveals 29.2% of French Guiana's population are immigrants, with a significant portion arriving from South American, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern countries.
April 2013 LFG became a full member of CONCACAF.
September 26 2012 French Guiana Football Team achieved its biggest victory, defeating St. Pierre and Miquelon 11-1.
2011
Demographics of French Guiana
Life expectancy at birth recorded as 76.2 years for males and 82.8 years for females in French Guiana.
2011 Rice production near Mana almost completely disappears due to marine erosion and new EU plant health regulations.
2010 A referendum was held that changed the government structure of French Guiana to a single territorial collectivity, setting the stage for the creation of the Assembly of French Guiana.
2010 A second referendum approved the transition to a 'single territorial collectivity' under Article 73 of the Constitution.
2010 The Guianese General Council officially adopted a departmental flag. In a referendum, French Guiana voted against becoming an autonomous overseas collectivity.
2010 Total fertility rate in French Guiana decreased to 3.37, continuing to remain considerably higher than metropolitan France's rate of 2.02.
2010 Operation Harpie Reinforce was launched by the French government to combat illegal gold mining in French Guiana.
March 12 2010 A significant altercation occurred between French soldiers and Brazilian miners (garimpeiros) after a successful anti-illegal mining operation. French authorities arrested 15 miners, confiscated three boats, and seized 617 grams of gold worth approximately $22,317. The miners later attacked the soldiers, attempting to retrieve their lost equipment and gold.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Politics of French Guiana, Demographics of French Guiana, Assembly of French Guiana, Economy of French Guiana & French Guiana, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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