Cayenne

This article is about the city in French Guiana. For other uses, see Cayenne pepper, Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne Garamonde.

Cayenne is the capital of the French overseas région of French Guiana. The city stands on an island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. Cayenne is located at 4°56' North, 52°20' West (4.9333, -52.333). ^*

At the 1999 census, there were 66,149 inhabitants in the urban area of Cayenne, 50,594 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Cayenne proper, and the remainder in the neighbouring commune of Remire-Montjoly.

History

Ignored by Spanish explorers, who found the region too hot and too poor to be colonised, the country was invaded by the French in 1643 and Cayenne was established in 1664. It then passed hands between the Dutch, British and Brazilians before being returned to France. It was used as a French penal settlement from 1854 to 1938.

See also History of French Guiana

Economy

Cayenne is an important industrial centre for the shrimp industry. Formerly, it also contained sugar refineries.

Culture

Cayenne is very ethnically diverse, with Creoles, Haitians, Brazilians, Europeans, Hmong and Asians all living in the city. It is famous for its particular annual carnival which starts with the arrival of Vaval (Carnival King) on the first Sunday after New Year's Day and continues with very popular all-night costume balls and Sunday afternoon parades every weekend until Mardi Gras.

In the French author's Voltaire's classic Candide, the characters attempt to reach Cayenne but end up in El Dorado instead.

Points of interest

Cayenne centers on its main commercial street, the Avenue Général de Gaulle. At the east end of the avenue near the coast is the Place de Palmistes and the Place de Grenoble (also known as the Place Léopold Héder). Most of the official buildings are located in this area: the Hôtel de Ville (the town hall) built by Jesuits in the 1890s, the Post Office, the Préfecture, residence of French Guiana's Préfect, and the Musée Départmental Franconie. To the west of this area lies Fort Cépérou, built in the 17th century, though now mostly in ruins. To the south lie the Place du Coq and Place Victor Schoelcher (named in honour of the anti-slavery activist) and a market.

To the south of this compact region is the Village Chinois (known as Chicago), separated from the rest of Cayenne by the Canal Laussat. It has a reputation for being a dangerous area.

Other buildings in the city include a cathedral, municipal library, the municipal musseum and a museum of French Guianese Culture (Musée des Cultures Guyanais) and a scientific research institute (IRD formerly Orstom).

There are some beaches along the coast, like Montjoly and Montabo, and several promontories, though the waters contain sharks.

Travel

Cayenne is served by the Cayenne-Rochambeau Airport.

There are many hotels in the city: Central Hotel, La Bodéga, Hôtel Ajoupa, Hôtel Amazonia, Hôtel les Amandiers, Hôtel Neptima, Hôtel Novotel and Ket-Tai.

Administration

Cayenne is the chief town of six cantons:

The first canton (North West) has 3,935 inhabitants;
The second canton (North East) has 5,730 inhabitants;
The third canton (South West) has 8,017 inhabitants;
The fourth canton (Centre) has 5,955 inhabitants;
The fifth canton (South) has 9,750 inhabitants;
The sixth canton (South East) has 17,207 inhabitants

Cayenne in fiction

Books

In The Hardy Boys #12: Footprints under the Window, The Hardys' investigations take them to Cayenne.

External links

Capitals in South America | Communes of Guyane | Préfectures | Port cities

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