Transport in French Guiana consists of transport by road, boat, bus, and airplane. There is a railway line within the Guiana Space Centre to transport spacecraft. The road network is mainly concentrated in the coastal region. The interior of Guiana is accessed by plane or boat. There is one main airport, however there are several smaller airstrips in the interior.
As of 2018, there are 440 kilometres of national roads, 408 kilometres of departmental road, and 1,311 kilometres of municipal roads. There is no motorway. [1]
Following a treaty between France and Brazil signed in July 2005, the Oyapock River Bridge over the Oyapock River was built and completed in 2011, becoming the first land crossing ever between French Guiana and the rest of the world (there is a ferry crossing to Albina, Suriname). The bridge was officially opened on 18 March 2017, however the border post introduction on the Brazilian caused additional delays. [2] As of 2020, it possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to Macapá, the capital of the state of Amapá in Brazil. [3]
A short railway is used within the Guiana Space Centre (this short railway is for transporting spacecraft inside the base to the launch pad, not for passenger use). The railway is double tracked and used by unpowered rail cars (tanker cars, flatcars and launch table transporter platforms fitted with bogies) and are towed by rubber wheeled vehicles with railway wheels or bogies to ride along the rail tracks (Road–rail vehicles). [4]
From 1880s to sometime after 1926 a steam narrow gauge railway was used for gold mines in Saint-Elie [5] and two other lines were partially built and never used. [6]
Two prison railways were built in the 1890s. One line connected Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni. Another line went to Charvein. The railway lines were abandoned after prisons closed and disappeared sometime after 1946. [6]
There are no other railways in French Guiana and none have existed for revenue passenger service, and there are no connections to neighbouring countries. Some maps - including some on Wikipedia - depicting railway density give the impression of railways existing in French Guyana due to conflating the existing railways in the metropole with the lack of same in French Guyana, thus creating a statistical artifact.
The main international airport of French Guiana is Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport. The secondary international airport is the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Airport. [7]
In October 2020, the Camopi Airport was upgraded for regular passenger transport. [8]
There are six smaller restricted airports: [9]
The CACL (Communauté d’Agglomération du Centre Littoral) provides bus service for the urban area of Cayenne and its suburbs. As of 2021, there are six urban bus lines. School transport is also handled by CACL. [10]
Since early 2010, an agreement was established between the General Council, responsible for organizing transport between the towns, and Taxi Co. The new public service became known as TIG (Long Distance Transport of Guyana). [11]
As of 2021, TIG provides nine bus lines to towns outside the urban area of Cayenne. [12]
The main harbour is Degrad des Cannes. The harbour was built in 1972, and handles all international cargo from and to French Guiana. In 2007, the port handled about 700,000 tonnes of cargo. The port also includes as a marina. [13]
Other harbours include Cayenne, Kourou, Larivot in Matoury, and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. [14]
Cayenne is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "fert aurum industria", which means "work brings wealth". Cayenne is the largest Francophone city of the South American continent.
The Oyapock or Oiapoque is a 403-kilometre (250 mi) long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá.
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. It is the second most populous city of French Guiana, with 49,173 inhabitants at the January 2020 census.
Saint-Georges is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. It lies on the Oyapock River, opposite the Brazilian town of Oiapoque. The town contains a town hall, a French Foreign Legion detachment, and some hotels. Saint-Georges has been one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Georges since October 2022.
Régina is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of 12,130 km2 (4,680 sq mi), it is the second-largest commune of France. The town is named after the first merchant who settled in the area.
The 3 arrondissements of the Guyane department are:
The arrondissement of Cayenne is an arrondissement of France in French Guiana department in French Guiana region. It has 10 communes. Its population is 181,520 (2020), and its area is 17,029 km2 (6,575 sq mi). It is the smallest of the three arrondissements in French Guiana, but also its most populated.
Maripasoula, previously named Upper Maroni, is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of 18,360 km2 (7,090 sq mi), Maripasoula is the largest commune of France. The commune is slightly larger than the country of Kuwait or the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Palikur are an indigenous people located in the riverine areas of the Brazilian state of Amapá and in French Guiana, particularly in the south-eastern border region, on the north bank of the Oyapock River. The Palikur Nation, or naoné, is Arawak-speaking and socially organized in clans. In 2015, the estimated population was 2,300 people of which 1,400 lived in Brazil and 900 in French Guiana.
The Wayampi or Wayãpi are an indigenous people located in the south-eastern border area of French Guiana at the confluence of the rivers Camopi and Oyapock, and the basins of the Amapari and Carapanatuba Rivers in the central part of the states of Amapá and Pará in Brazil. The number of Wayampi is approximately 2,171 individuals. Approximately 950 live in French Guiana in two main settlements surrounded by little hamlets, and 1,221 live in Brazil in 49 villages.
Articles related to the French overseas department of Guiana(Région Guyane) include:
French Guiana is an overseas department of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas. Bordered by Suriname to the west and Brazil to the east and south, French Guiana covers a land area of 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi), and is inhabited by 301,099 people.
The Franco-Brazilian Binational Bridge spans the Oyapock River, linking the cities of Oiapoque in Amapá, Brazil and Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock in French Guiana, France. The bridge is cable-stayed, with two towers rising to a height of 83 metres (272 ft) and a length of 378 metres (1,240 ft). There are two lanes for vehicles with a total width of 9 metres (30 ft) and a pedestrian sidewalk with a width of 2.50 metres. The vertical clearance under the bridge is 15 metres (49 ft).
Camopi Airport is an airport serving the Oyapock river village of Camopi, French Guiana near the border with Brazil.
Sainte-Rose-de-Lima is a village of Lokono Amerindians in the commune of Matoury in French Guiana. The village is located on the RN2 near Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport. It is the largest settlement of Lokono in French Guiana.
Route nationale 1 (RN1) is a highway in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. The highway connects Cayenne with Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and measures 258 kilometres (160 mi). The highway is the busiest road of French Guiana.
Route nationale 2 (RN2) is a highway in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. The highway connects Cayenne with Saint-Georges and measures 185 kilometres (115 mi). The highway provides a direct connection to Brazil.
As of 2018, there are 440 kilometres of national roads, 408 kilometres of departmental road, and 1,311 kilometres of municipal roads in French Guiana. There is no motorway.
