French Guiana

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French Guiana
French Guiana, with Cayenne as its capital, is an overseas territory of France located on the northeastern coast of South America. It is France's second largest region and the European Union's largest outermost region. It is bordered by Brazil to its south and east, and by Surinam to its west. Tourism, particularly eco-tourism, is a rapidly growing industry in the country. A wide variety of ecosystems including tropical rainforests, coastal mangroves, savannahs, island mountains and many types of wetlands are found in French Guiana. The country is divided into three ecoregions: the moist forests of the Guiana Highlands, the moist forests of Guiana and the mangroves of Guiana. Both flora and fauna in French Guiana have a high level of biodiversity. This is because of the presence of old-growth forests, which serve as biodiversity hotspots. During periods of drought and glaciation, the rainforests of French Guiana provide shelter for many species. A national park, the Guiana Amazonian Park, seven other nature reserves and 17 protected areas protect these forests. 5,500 plant species, including over 1,000 trees, 700 bird species, 177 mammal species, over 500 fish species, including 45 percent endemism, and 109 amphibian species were registered. The biodiversity of French Guiana resembles that of other rainforest regions like the Brazilian Amazon, Borneo and Sumatra. An exceptional sea turtle nesting site is found on the beaches of the Amana Nature Reserve. It is one of the largest in the world for the Leatherback Turtle.