French Guiana: Doing business & staying in touch

French Guiana's economy is heavily dependent on that of France. Thanks to the French social security system and subsidies from Paris, the population enjoys one of the highest standards of living on the South American continent.

Besides the French Space Centre at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities, occupying most of the workforce. Vegetables and rice are the principal crops, most of which are consumed domestically.

Exploitation of French Guiana's mineral resources, which, in addition to timber from the country's extensive forests, include gold, bauxite and kaolin, is steadily growing. Gold production continues to flourish, with actual production levels and sales suspected to be far higher than official estimates. Exploration expanded in the mid 1990s, following the construction of a major new road allowing access to the interior.

Development of the service sector, particularly tourism (and the promising field of ecotourism), had previously been hampered by poor infrastructure. The country's other notable economic asset, acquired by virtue of its position close to the equator, is the European Space Agency's satellite launch facility at Kourou. The French Space Centre accounts for a quarter of GDP.