French Guiana Facts For Kids

French Guiana has an equatorial climate, which means it is close to the Equator and stays warm and humid most of the year. It rains a lot from December through July, and some months can be very wet. From August to November there is a drier time when rain drops and things become less soggy, especially in the east.

The city of Cayenne usually has temperatures between about 22 °C and 32 °C (72 °F to 90 °F), so it feels warm. Humidity is high, which makes the air feel sticky. Heavy rains and warm weather help the forests grow thick and green.

Long before Europeans arrived, many groups of people lived in the area now called French Guiana. These Kalina and other indigenous peoples spoke Arawak and other native languages and knew how to live in the forests and rivers.

The first French visits were in the early 1500s, and the town of Cayenne started in 1643. Over time, colonists built large farms and used enslaved people to work them. In 1794, the French government moved to end slavery in its colonies. Later, the region grew slowly because of disease and other hard times, but after the 1950s people began to move in more and new projects, like the space center in 1964, helped the population grow.

French Guiana is a region of France that sits on the northern coast of South America. It is about 84,000 square kilometers, which makes it one of the biggest regions of France. Around 292,000 people live there, and about half of them live in the capital, Cayenne. Because much of the land is covered by forest, people are spread out: there are only about 3 or 4 people living in each square kilometer on average.

Most of French Guiana is wild and green. Nearly all the land is forest, and a very large park protects a big part of it. This makes it an important place for plants and animals you might not find anywhere else.

The soils in French Guiana are often poor for farming: they are low in some nutrients and can be acidic. Farmers sometimes add lime to make the ground less acidic. In some places people use slash-and-burn farming, where burning plants leaves ashes that help crops for a while. There are also patches of rich, dark terra preta, a special human-made soil found near the border with Brazil that keeps nutrients for a long time and puzzles scientists.

Most of the land stays covered by forest, so big farms are rare. Because of the soil and the trees, many families grow small plots, gather wild foods, or fish to eat and sell. Researchers are learning how to make soils better so farming can be more lasting. How would you help soil grow plants better?

Tropical rainforests cover most of French Guiana, but you can also find beaches, mangroves, wetlands, and open grassy areas called savannahs. There are rocky hills called inselbergs that rise out of the trees like islands of stone. These different places help many kinds of life live there.

Scientists have found thousands of plants and hundreds of birds, mammals, fish, and frogs. Big protected areas, including a very large national park, keep much of this life safe. Some beaches are important nesting spots for large sea turtles. People worry about things like mining, roads, and off-road vehicles because they can break up habitats where animals live.

Carnival is the biggest and brightest event in French Guiana and lasts from early January until Ash Wednesday. For weeks, people make costumes, build floats, and practice music. On parade days you see groups with drums and brass, dancers, and even Brazilian samba groups and Chinese dragons. In the evenings, masked characters called Touloulous go to special balls where people dance and celebrate together.

Food mixes Creole, Chinese, Bushinengue (Maroon), and Indigenous flavors. Staples include manioc (cassava), smoked fish, and coconut milk. Special dishes are Awara broth at Easter, Colombo at weddings, and local fish cooked in coconut. Meals are part of festivals and family life, so food brings people together. Would you try a spoonful of Awara broth or a coconut fish?

French Guiana is home to about 292,000 people, and half of them are under 25 years old. The number of people living there grew a lot during the past decades because many families had children and people moved there from nearby countries. Growth was fastest in the 1980s and slowed after 2010. Some people arrived during times of trouble in neighboring places, and others come today to work or join family.

People in French Guiana come from many backgrounds. Large groups include Creoles, Maroons who live along the Maroni River, and several Indigenous peoples like the Lokono and Wayana. Many people speak French as the official language, but many other languages are common too: French Guianese Creole, Maroon creoles, Amerindian languages, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Chinese. Which language would you like to hear on the street?