Cayenne is the interesting and beautiful capital of French Guiana. French Guiana Part of France in South America

The name of the territory dates back to the time when there were three colonies with the same name "Guiana": British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname) and French Guiana.

The territory of French Guiana borders Suriname, Brazil, and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and northeast.

State symbols

Official flag d – flag of France.

Flag of French Guiana– is a panel on which there is a logo with a yellow five-pointed star in a blue field above an orange figure in a yellow boat in a green field, above two orange wave lines. Above the logo is the inscription GUYANE and LA RÉGION.

Coat of arms- is a shield that consists of equally wide stripes of blue, red and green. On the blue stripe there are three French gold lilies - a symbol of the French monarchy and possession of the territory by France. The number 1643 is placed at the top: in 1643, French Guiana was annexed to France.
The red stripe depicts a boat loaded with gold floating on a green river. A boat with gold indicates the natural wealth of the territory.
On the green stripe there are 3 water lily flowers, representing the wildlife of the territory.

Territory arrangement

Political status- overseas department of France.
Head of Department- prefect appointed by the President of France.
Administrative center- Cayenne.

Official language- French. There are a number of other local spoken languages.
Territory– 91 thousand km².
Administrative division– 2 districts, which consist of 22 communes.
Population– 237,549 people. Ethnic composition: up to 70% blacks and mulattoes (Creoles, immigrants from Haiti), 12% Europeans (mainly French and Portuguese), 3% Indians, 15% Brazilians and descendants of immigrants from various Asian countries. The population is mainly concentrated in a narrow coastal strip.
Official religion- Catholicism, only a small part of the population professes Hinduism and Voodoo.
Currency unit– euro.
Economy– reserves of gold, bauxite, oil, niobium, tantalum. Only bauxite is mined, as well as small quantities of tantalum and gold. More than 90% of the territory is covered with forest (including valuable species: red, pink, teak, muscat, mora, etc.).
The activities of the French National Center for Space Research, located on the Atlantic coast, in the Kourou region, play an important economic role in the country.
Agriculture: sugar cane, almost all of which is used to make rum. Bananas, citrus fruits, cassava, and rice are cultivated. Livestock farming is poorly developed. Shrimp fishing off the coast. Main exports: gold, timber, rum, shrimp.

Education– The University of the Antilles and Guianas is partly located in Guiana. The education system in Guiana is French.
On the territory of Guiana there is the Kourou Cosmodrome (Guiana Space Center). The spaceport is located on the Atlantic coast between the towns of Kourou and Sinnamary, 50 km from Cayenne. The first launch from the Kourou cosmodrome was carried out on April 9, 1968.

Nature

The coast of Guiana stretches along the entire coast of the Atlantic Ocean in a strip approximately 20 km wide. This is approximately 6% of the entire area of ​​Guiana. The rest of Guiana is a wooded plateau, with altitudes up to 850 m. More than 90% of the territory is covered with forest.

Climatesubequatorial.

Toucan
The fauna is tropical. Jaguars, tapirs, toucans, dozens of species of monkeys, etc. live here. The environment of French Guiana is carefully preserved. French Guiana has very beautiful and wild beaches.

Sloth
Very large variety of butterflies.

Sights of Guiana

Saint-Sauveur Cathedral (Cayenne)

Cathedral of the Diocese of Cayenne. Historical monument. Construction of the temple was completed in 1833. The church was consecrated in 1861 in honor of the Holy Savior. The cathedral is a basilica without an apse with two naves, built in the imperial colonial style. In 2003, an organ was installed in the cathedral. This is the largest temple in French Guiana.

Alexander Franconi Museum (Cayenne)

National Museum of France. Founded in 1901. The exhibition is based on objects of natural history, archeology and ethnography of French Guiana. Colonial life of the 19th century is widely represented.
The museum is located in the Franconi House. The house belonged to the Franconi family, whose representatives settled in Cayenne in the 18th century. A philanthropist and humanist, Alexandre Franconi amassed a large library and collection of objects from the history and culture of Guiana. His son and heir Gustave Franconi sold the building to the municipality in 1885 and bequeathed the library to the city.
The Franconi House was built between 1824 and 1842. The oldest part has a U-shaped plan overlooking a small garden. The building was built in colonial style. It consists of a wooden frame filled with bricks.

Devil's Island

One of the three islands of the Ile du Salut archipelago, 13 km off the coast of French Guiana.
In 1852-1952. the island served as a prison for especially dangerous criminals. The prison was created by the government of Emperor Napoleon III in 1852. The prisons were located on all three islands and on the coast at Kourou. Over time, they all began to be referred to by the collective name “Devil’s Island.”

Dreyfus Hut
On April 13, 1895, the Jewish artillery captain Alfred Dreyfus was imprisoned here. He was charged with high treason against France. It was an unjust accusation with a death sentence, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. This outraged the French intelligentsia. Emile Zola published an open letter in his defense on January 13, 1898. He accused French President Felix Faure of anti-Semitism and the unfair verdict of Dreyfus.
Dreyfus was rehabilitated only in 1906. The prison closed in 1952.

Church of St. Joseph (Mana)

The parish church of the Cayenne diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Mana.
The Church, like the commune itself, was founded by Blessed Anna Maria Javouet, founder and first superior general of the Congregation of the Cluny Sisters of St. Joseph. She first arrived in Guiana on August 10, 1828. The first thing she did was build the first chapel. This wooden church is a historical monument of France.

Guiana Amazon (national park)

The largest national park in France. There are no roads leading into the park and access is possible either by air or by water. The area of ​​the park is 33.9 thousand km². Established in 2007, the park is entirely located in the natural tropical forest area.

Story

This territory was discovered by the Spaniards in 1499, but did not attract them. In 1604, the first French colonists settled in Guiana. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. The Dutch and British repeatedly tried to take over the territory. French power over Guiana was finally established in 1817.
The French begin to develop plantation farming in Guiana. For this purpose, they began to import black slaves from Africa.
In 1848, slavery was abolished, and the territory of Guiana was turned into a place of exile. In 1855, gold was discovered here.
After the abolition of slavery, French authorities began to encourage immigration. In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. the population of the colony increased greatly, because the discovery of gold deposits attracted thousands of people there. At the height of the gold rush, up to 40 thousand miners worked in the jungles of French Guiana, most of whom died from disease, snakes, wild animals and other difficulties.
Since 1852, French Guiana became a place of exile for “undesirable political elements.” The first exiles were participants in the French Revolution of 1848. In total, about 70 thousand were exiled from 1852 to 1939.
At the same time as the gold rush, territorial disputes between France and the Netherlands and Brazil broke out. For some time, the self-proclaimed Kunani Republic existed in the disputed territories in an atmosphere of anarchy and anarchy.
On March 19, 1946, French Guiana became an overseas department of France.

In 1964, Guiana, due to its proximity to the equator, was chosen by France as the site for the construction of a space launch complex.

Travel notes, day 13

Made it to French Guiana. To get here, you need to either have a French visa (a simple Schengen visa won’t work), or get a separate visa to visit French overseas territories, it costs 10,000 rubles.

What do we know about French Guiana besides the fact that cayenne pepper used to be shipped from here? Firstly, this is an outdated name; officially it is simply called Guiana.

Secondly, there used to be several Guianas on the northern coast of South America. I’ve already been to three: (west of Venezuela), (Guyana) and (Suriname). Now I am already in the fourth Guiana, which still belongs to France. Previously, there was Portuguese Guiana, now it is the Brazilian state of Amapa.

So, French Guiana differs from other Guianas primarily in that an independent state never arose on this territory, although at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries active attempts were made to create one.

In 1946, Guiana received the status of an overseas department of France, and it remained so. At the same time, this territory is considered an overseas region of France. This is the largest French overseas department by territory, but at the same time it is very sparsely populated: even on the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique there are more people living.

While Guyana and Suriname gained independence in 1966 and 1975, respectively, Guiana remained under the wing of Paris. As it later turned out, local residents only benefited from this.

Back in 1964, it became clear that Guiana would not escape anywhere, since Charles de Gaulle chose this very territory for the construction of the most important strategic facility - the Guiana Space Center, or Kourou Cosmodrome. Now it is the main spaceport of the European Space Agency, and it is guarded by soldiers of the French Foreign Legion.

In 1996, 1997 and 2000, mass protests took place in Guiana to grant the territory greater autonomy, but the authorities dispersed them. But in general, the idea of ​​gaining independence from France is not particularly popular among the people.

So Guiana did very well. Although it is located in South America, it is part of the EU and uses the euro as its currency. The head of state is, accordingly, considered to be the President of France, and in general the metropolis is represented by the prefect, who sits in Cayenne.

Guiana is the richest territory in South America, if you count in terms of GDP per capita; only Uruguay has reached similar indicators (more than $16,000), but so far it is somewhat behind.

Here is the GDP per capita of the overseas departments of France (2013, data from the INSEE Institute):

Martinique - 22,687 euros
Guadeloupe - 20,247 euros
Reunion - 20,198 euros
Guiana - 16,210 euros
Mayotte - 8,047 euros

France's GDP at that time was 32,126 euros

After visiting other Guianas, I can say with confidence - Glory to the colonies!

01. The title photo was taken yesterday, October 28... Then there was a Russian An at the Cayenne airport... And the day before that there was a Ukrainian An at the same place. Cargo planes fly here every day to serve the Kourou spaceport.

02. As I understand it, this is some kind of government French aircraft? Who knows, write what kind of animal it is.

03. Guiana has a modern, excellent airport... Border guards, unlike neighboring countries, do not ask questions or force you to fill out stupid forms. Everything is fast, professional, just like in the best houses in Paris.

04. Civilization is everywhere. For the first time in 2 weeks of travel I saw legal taxis and a normal queue.

05. For the first time, a taxi had a meter! Aaaaah, how I miss a simple taxi meter! It is worth noting that taxi drivers in Guiana are the same assholes as in France. If you order a taxi by phone, it will arrive with the meter already turned on, where it will be 5 or 10 euros. They also like to add additional services on top of the bill, for no apparent reason. There is nothing worse than a French taxi driver.

06. There are French signs everywhere, there are bike paths.

07. Good roads, roundabouts everywhere.

08. Everything is clean and well maintained. It feels like you are somewhere in the south of France.

09. At home

10. New hospital

11. This is some kind of local central bank...

12. And this is the local university!

13. Nothing like this can be imagined in any neighboring country.

14. Modern architecture

15.

16. France is pouring a lot of money here, of course.

17. Hospitals, schools, universities, and new housing are being built.

18. Improvement

19. Everything is still completely new.

20. Housing

21.

22.

23. There is still construction going on here.

24. And this is a shopping center.

25.

26. Social housing

27.

28.

29.

30. The capital of Guiana, Cayenne, also has its own slums...

31. Bamboo

32. Old Fort

33. But the beaches are not very good... The sea is dirty and choppy. Compared to the paradisiacal Caribbean islands, it’s quite sad.

34. The inhabitants of Guiana mainly settle along the coast. All major cities are located near the ocean. About 30% of the total population are immigrants from neighboring disadvantaged countries.

35. The authorities of Guiana do not like immigrants because many of them are engaged in illegal gold mining. Every few years the police raid them.

36. The monument turned out to be plastic (Hoax!

37. Who do you see here... I saw a crocodile, and the locals see a man lying on his back here!

38. Now everyone is fighting breast cancer. In honor of this important event, the palm trees in the central park were wrapped in pink rags.

39. Center of the capital

40. Guiana's economy is heavily dependent on French subsidies and trade. Residents of Guiana are engaged in fishing, gold mining and logging - these are the main sources of income for the colony.

41. There are a lot of unemployed people in Guiana - about 20-25% of the population. There are a lot of thieves and robbers on the streets at night, so tourists are advised not to walk around late. They also say that motorcycles are constantly stolen here.

42. But there are still good people living in Cayenne, thanks to them for their help!

43. One of the best restaurants in the country.

44. Overall there is nothing to see here.

45.

46. ​​There are a number of old colonial buildings, but they are completely uninteresting.

47.

48.

49. Garbage

50. One problem - it's hot here!

51. You won’t be able to go out much during the day.

52.

53. Contemporary art

54. Modern parking

French Guiana is the smallest country in terms of territory on the mainland. Its population is 185,000 people. It borders on two countries - in the west and in the east and south of the country. There is wide access to the Atlantic Ocean. The government of French Guiana is organized as an overseas department.

It is not the capital, but the city of Cayenne serves as the administrative center. In fact, the real capital of French Guiana is, despite the large geographical distances. The official language of the country is French, and the official currency is, of course, the euro.

Relief. French Guiana is flat in the northern part of the country and hilly in the southern and central parts. There are no high mountains or mountain ranges here. Only a few small mountain elevations are found. The highest point in the country is Mount Bellevue, which is located in the central part of the country and reaches only 851 meters. The flat area is cut through by a very dense river network.

Nature. Almost the entire territory of French Guiana is covered with dense and impenetrable equatorial forests. Daily rainfall has created some of the richest jungle plant and animal species in the entire world. Jaguars, tapirs, toucans, dozens of species of monkeys and many, many other species live here undisturbed. The environment of French Guiana is very clean and preserved. In this regard, it could serve as an example for many other countries. In addition to dense forests, French Guiana has very beautiful and wild beaches. Much of the coast, however, is covered with mangrove forests, as is the case in Suriname. Mangrove forests are a very important living environment for a large number of animal species.

Climate. French Guiana is hot and humid with very heavy, almost daily rainfall throughout the year. Approximately 3800 mm falls per year. As in Guyana and Suriname, here daytime temperatures also range from 29 to 32-33°C, and at night around 23°C. As you can see, the temperature amplitude is very small, which is typical for the equatorial climate zone. The heaviest rainfall occurs in the first half of the year, with maximum precipitation in May. The driest (if you can call it dry) September is when about 30 millimeters of rain falls. As in most places in the equatorial climate zone, it is always partly cloudy here, and the air, which is felt throughout the year, is one of the most specific features of the local climate.

Economy French Guiana relies mainly on the mining and processing of gold, bauxite, timber and agriculture. Heat-loving and moisture-loving crops such as rice, cassava, sugar cane, bananas and others are grown. The traditional Caribbean drink, rum, is produced from sugar cane. The main cultivated lands are located near the largest cities of Cayenne and Kuri on the Atlantic coast. French Guiana is part of France and as such has a high standard of living for the local population, which is very different from most countries in the region. However, a high standard of living does not mean that French Guiana is a significant economic force. The country is very sparsely populated and large areas of it are wild and unspoiled, without any infrastructure. It is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the South American continent. The main transport routes are located in the coastal regions, where the country's large cities are located. However, French Guiana has many advantages as an overseas department of France. The space center, which is located ten kilometers west of the city of Kourou, plays a very important role for French Guiana. This location was chosen to launch spacecraft into space due to its proximity to. From a tourism perspective, French Guiana has potential for development. The combination of a warm climate, dense jungle and wild beaches can be very beneficial for this sparsely populated country.

Cities. Cities in French Guiana are small and concentrated along the coast. They form a mini agglomeration, as they are located at a small distance from each other. The largest
The city is the administrative center of Cayenne, home to about 70,000 people or less than half the country's population. The second largest city of Kourou is located about 40 kilometers west of Cayenne. Between the two cities there are small rural villages. In the interior of the country there are some small towns mainly in the border areas, especially with Suriname.

General information

Official name - Guiana, often also called French Guiana. The state is located in the northeast of South America. The area is 91 thousand km 2. Population - 230 thousand people. (as of 2010). The official language is French. The capital is Cayenne. The monetary unit is the euro.

Guiana is the largest overseas region and at the same time an overseas department. It borders on the west with Suriname, on the south and east with Brazil, and on the north and northeast by the Atlantic Ocean.

The climate is hot and humid. Average monthly temperatures range between +25+28°C, while in summer values ​​within +34+37°C are not uncommon. Precipitation falls mainly from January to May-June. Air humidity is extremely high all year round, even during the dry period from July-August to December. The average annual precipitation exceeds 2,500 mm.

Story

Archaeological research has proven that people settled in the area between the Oipomak and Maroni rivers back in the 5th millennium BC. But when Guiana was discovered by the Spaniards, during the third expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1498, the tribes of the Arawaks, Palikurs and Caribs lived here. In their languages, this area was called "Land of Waters", the French transformed this name, difficult to pronounce for them, into Guyanne. There are indeed many rivers in Guiana, more than twenty of them carry their waters to the Atlantic Ocean, and there are countless small rivers.

This part of Guiana began to be called French only later; Along with it, there also existed British Guiana (now) and Dutch Guiana (now). The first Europeans to settle on the shores of Guiana in 1503 were the French and Spaniards, but the French gradually began to predominate. In 1604, their settlement already existed in Cayenne. The Indians burned and destroyed it, but the French rebuilt it in 1634 in the same place and never surrendered it to the enemy. After the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which ended the Seven Years' War, between Great Britain and Portugal, on the one hand, and France and Spain, on the other, the colonial possessions of all these countries were redistributed. Guiana remained among the other possessions of France behind it, and soon, almost simultaneously, almost 12 thousand new colonists arrived in the Cayenne port. Not without the intention of finding the mythical country of Eldorado: many colonists from Europe were then obsessed with this dream. But in the local humid and hot climate, also saturated with the fumes of the swamps, the Europeans, pampered by civilization, for the most part could not resist malaria and tropical fever. Of the thousands of aliens, only a few hundred survived. Indians also died, having become infected with diseases hitherto unknown in South America from Europeans and the African slaves they brought. The French rushed to a small archipelago visible from the shore, calling it lies du Salut (Islands of Salvation). But, by a cruel irony of fate, soon the smallest of these islands - lie du Diable (Devil's Island) - was destined to become an island not of salvation, but of imprisonment. In 1848, slavery was abolished, and a labor shortage became noticeable. Then the French government conceived a multi-step combination. From 1852 until the end of World War II, French Guiana became a place of exile for “undesirable political elements.” In addition, in 1885, the French Parliament passed a law according to which any person, male or female, convicted of theft three times, was sent to Guiana to spend six months in prison and then become a colonist without the right to return to his homeland.

It didn't work. People with criminal inclinations could not leave their craft, continued to steal rather than work, and returned to Devil’s Island for life imprisonment. Most of those who avoided this fate still died from hunger and disease. But there were also those who came to their senses and began to get involved in business; they became planters. By that time, sugar cane had become Guiana's main crop. More and more hands were needed to work on the plantations, and these hands were brought from Africa. Formally, Africans were free, but in fact they found themselves in the position of powerless slaves. Gradually, Guiana became more and more “black”.

On March 19, 1946, Guiana ceased to be a colony of France and became its overseas department of French Guiana. A decision was also made to close the prison on Devil's Island, but the prisoners remained there until 1951, according to some reports, a small part of them in one of the blocks until 1954, quietly going crazy.

Sights of Guiana

Cayenne- not only the largest city, but also the main port of the country. Cayenne is a highly developed political and transport center, and it is rightfully considered the most colorful and expressive city in the country.

The oldest district of the city is the square Place de Grenoble, located in the western part of Cayenne. The square is surrounded on all sides by public buildings: the city hall, the post office, the prefecture, the Lusso Canal and the magnificent botanical gardens. Closer to the center of the capital there are various museums, such as the Museum of Guiana Culture, the Departmental Fransoni, and the Felix Ebo Museum.

The main market of the city is considered market, located on Place-Victor-Schoelscher. Village Chino is an equally successful shopping destination. A wide variety of Asian food products and local spices are sold here, and fish auctions are often held.

The best beach in Cayenne is the beach located in the area Remy-Montjoly. In such an area you can also appreciate the sights of the country: the old colonial sugar factory, the famous turtle beach, and the ruins of Fort Diamant.

Area Kau took its location southeast of Cayenne. It is here that you can admire all the delights of the exotic nature of the country. This area has a significant number of diverse forest trails and paths. In Kau you can find many unique species of birds that can sing incredibly beautifully. The abundance of fish in these parts can be so interesting that you can suddenly meet the caimans - the owners of the area.

The most visited tourist destination in the country is considered Kuru. Thanks to the diligence of the European Space Agency, Kourou has been able to become one of the most important spaceports in the world. The Guiana Space Center is located on the western side of Kourou and occupies a strip of about 20 by 60 kilometers. It is separated from the equator by only 500 km. With annual rocket launches (up to ten times a year), the spaceport is capable of supporting about 15 percent of French Guiana's entire economic activity. In Kourou there is the Space Museum, where you can learn the history of the formation of the cosmodrome.

On the way to Kourou from Saint Laurent you can visit transit camp, where criminals from France had been exiled since the 1830s. The prisoners lived in these same barracks, and every day they went out from here to work in the city, or on plantations, including in private houses, for a nominal pay. Given that slavery was abolished in 1837, French Guiana was the first place on earth where whites served as servants in the homes of black Guianans.

The smallest and northernmost of the three islands of Île du Salut is Devil's Island. Today, the main attraction of this island is the ruins of prison buildings. However, this is not the only attraction of the island. There is unique wildlife here, rich in a variety of palm species, as well as a large population of agoutis, macaws and sea turtles.

Guiana cuisine

The cuisine of French Guiana is defined by a mixture of French, Spanish, Portuguese and Caribbean traditions.

Rice is the staple of local cuisine. The reason for this is both the wide distribution of this cereal in the local economy and the great influence of the culinary traditions of the countries of Southeast Asia, primarily and, people from which have been making an important contribution to local gastronomy for more than a century and a half. Moreover, rice is served both as a side dish and as an independent simple dish with all kinds of spices (primarily curry), and as a basis for various sweets and pastries. Traditionally, local shellfish, fish and other seafood and river products are served with rice, replacing beef, which is quite expensive by local standards. The most traditional dish of this type here is broth." d"avara", prepared from smoked fish, seafood (primarily crabs and shrimp), poultry, "awar" or "auora" fruits, and vegetables.

Pork and poultry are more common, as are game (mainly poultry, peccary, tapir and paca), which form the basis for both haute cuisine and everyday snacks such as fricassee (finely chopped meat in sauce). Meat is traditionally used in stewed and fried forms - mainly simple (“grilled”) or complex dishes prepared from several varieties of vegetables, root vegetables and meat products. A wide variety of vegetables are used for these purposes, from cassava, colocasia, legumes, bananas, traditional for the countries of the region, to potatoes, coconuts, mangoes, papaya, pineapples and rambutan, combined in all sorts of ways. And the most common dish with meat here is considered to be the traditional South Asian "roti" made from meat or vegetables, richly seasoned with curry and wrapped in a flat cake.

Local fruit drinks are always served at the table and deserve special attention. Freshly squeezed guava, anona, passion fruit, tangerine and sugar cane juices are renowned for their excellent quality. Coffee and herbal tea "mate" are also popular.

The national drink of Guiana is rum; it is brewed here in almost every locality. However, almost no one drinks it neat, but the traditional “tee-punch” made from rum, sugar cane juice and lemon is consumed in huge quantities (interestingly, smoked or fresh cod rolls and blood sausage are considered a common snack for it).

In the capital and Kourou you can find imported wines (primarily French and Chilean) and spirits in abundance, but local beer is very mediocre, and imported varieties are usually preferred.

Guiana (France) on the map

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