A creole French capital on the edge of the Amazon
Cayenne is a small city on the Atlantic, part of France and the European Union, with a creole character. The Place des Palmistes, lined with royal palms, is the heart of town, and Fort Cépérou above gives views over the port. The central market sells tropical fruit, spices and Vietnamese soup. On the coast nearby, leatherback turtles nest on beaches such as Rémire-Montjoly between about April and July. Kourou, an hour away, is home to the Guiana Space Centre, where rockets launch for the European Space Agency.