Education in French Guiana is compulsory for all children between ages 6 and 16, and the medium of tuition is French because the country is an overseas department of France. Enrollment at primary school which lasts for 5 years is almost 100%, except for in remoter rural areas where facilities are sometimes sparse.
Festivals in French Guiana are celebrated with lots of cheerful traditions, cultural performances, music, drinking, and all-day feasts. Most events are based on religious observances and origins, but there are also many secular celebrations. The months of January and February come alive with Mardi Gras spirit and throughout the year, many other interesting holidays commemorate historic dates, including the abolition of slavery.
Deep in equatorial South America, French Guiana (also known as "Guyane") is a department of France bordering Brazil, Suriname, and the Atlantic. It's a land where old abuts new in striking incongruity. Dense rainforests shelter centuries-old indigenous villages, while rockets zoom overhead, launched from the country's lucrative Space Centre. The capital, Cayenne, is a melting pot of French, Asian, African, and Brazilian cultures.