evidence: French Guiana is an overseas department of France, located on the northern coast of South America. Like the other French departments, French Guiana is an overseas region of France, one of 26 regions of France. As a part of France, French Guiana is thus part of the European Union's territory, and its currency is the euro. [...] A chronic issue affecting French Guiana is the influx of illegal immigrants and clandestine gold prospectors from Brazil and Suriname. The border between the Department and Suriname is formed by the Maroni River, which flows through rainforest and is difficult for the Gendarmerie and the French Foreign Legion to patrol. The border line with Suriname is disputed. [...] Following the signing of an international treaty between France and Brazil in July 2005, a bridge over the Oyapock River (marking the border with Brazil) is currently being built and is due to open at the end of 2008. This bridge will be the first land crossing between France and Brazil, and indeed between French Guiana and the rest of the world (there exists no other bridge crossing the Oyapock River, and no bridge crossing the Maroni River marking the border with Suriname). When the bridge is opened, it will be possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to Macapá, the capital of the state of Amapá, in Brazil.