Cayenne

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Cayenne

Town hall Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana Administration Country France Overseas region and department French Guiana Arrondissement Cayenne Intercommunality Centre Littoral Mayor Rodolphe Alexandre Statistics Land area1 23.60 km2 (9.11 sq mi) Population2 57,047  (Jan. 2009)  - Density 2,417 /km2 (6,260 /sq mi) Urban area 206.9 km2 (79.9 sq mi) (2010)  - Population 102,089 (Jan. 2009) Metro area 5,085 km2 (1,963 sq mi) (2010)  - Population 116,124 (Jan. 2009) INSEE/Postal code 97302/ 97300 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 4°55′22″N 52°19′37″W / 4.9227°N 52.3269°W / 4.9227; -52.3269

Cayenne (French pronunciation: ​) is the capital 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 "ferit aurum industria" which means "work brings wealth".

At the 2009 census, there were 116,124 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Cayenne (as defined by INSEE), 57,047 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Cayenne proper.

Geography

Main article: Geography of French Guiana

Cayenne is located on the banks of the estuary of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Ocean. The city occupies part of the Ile de Cayenne. It is located 268 km from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and 64 km from Kourou.

Distances to some cities:

Paris: 7,100 kilometres (4,400 mi). Fort-de-France, capital of Martinique: 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). Paramaribo, capital of Suriname: 342 kilometres (213 mi) to the northwest. Macapá, capital of the state of Amapá, Brazil: 554 kilometres (344 mi) to the southeast.

History

See also: History of French Guiana

Ignored by Spanish explorers, who found the region too hot and poor to be claimed, the region was not colonized until 1604, when a French settlement was founded. However, it was soon destroyed by the Portuguese, who were determined to enforce the provisions of the Treaty of Tordesillas. French colonists returned in 1643 and founded Cayenne, but they were forced to leave once more following Amerindian attacks. In 1664, France finally succeeded at establishing a permanent settlement at Cayenne. Over the next decade the colony changed hands between the French, Dutch and English, before being restored to France. It was captured by an Anglo-Portuguese force at the invasion of Cayenne in 1809 and administered from Brazil until 1814, when it was returned to French control. It was used as a French penal colony from 1854 to 1938.

Cayenne's coat of arms on a municipal sign.

The city's population has recently grown dramatically, owing to high levels of immigration (chiefly from the West Indies and Brazil) as well as a high birthrate.

Demography

1961 1967 1974 1982 1990 1999 2009 Cayenne (commune) 18,615 24,518 30,461 38,091 41,067 50,594 57,047 Cayenne (metropolitan area) 21,505 28,257 35,812 49,118 66,803 92,059 116,124 Official figures from population censuses.

Economy

Cayenne is an important industrial centre for the shrimp industry. The city formerly also contained sugar refineries.

Culture

Cayenne is very ethnically diverse, with Creole, Haitian, Brazilian, European, and Hmong and other Asian communities. It is famous for its annual carnival which starts with the arrival of Vaval (the 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.

Main sights

Cayenne centres on its main commercial street, the Avenue Général de Gaulle. At the east end of the avenue near the coast is the Place des 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 the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur de Cayenne, municipal library, the municipal museum and a museum of French Guianese Culture (Musée des Cultures Guyanaise) and a scientific research institute (IRD or Institut de recherche pour le développement, formerly Orstom). The Jardin botanique de Cayenne is the city's botanical garden.