Cayenne - Economy, Administration, Cayenne in popular culture

4°55N 52°18W, pop (2000e) 60 000. Federal and district capital of French Guiana, NE South America; major port on Cayenne I at mouth of R Cayenne, on the Atlantic coast; founded, 1643; used as penal settlement, 1854–1938; airport; source of Cayenne pepper; timber, sugar cane, rum, pineapples; Jesuit-built residence (1890) of the prefect.

Commune of Cayenne Town hall of Cayenne
Administration
Country	France
Région	Guyane
Département	Guyane (préfecture)
Arrondissement	Cayenne
Canton	Chief town of 6 cantons
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Centre Littoral
Mayor	Jean-Claude Lafontaine
Statistics
Land area¹	23.60 km²
Population² (1999 census)	50,594
- Density (1999)	2,144/km²
Miscellaneous
Postal code	97300
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers >
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g.

Cayenne is the capital of the French overseas région of French Guiana.

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.

See also History of French Guiana

Economy

Cayenne is an important industrial centre for the shrimp industry.

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

Administration

Cayenne is the chief town of six cantons:

The first canton (North West) has 3,935 inhabitants; The sixth canton (South East) has 17,207 inhabitants

Cayenne in popular culture

The French folk song Cayenne (named after the main city of French Guiana) tells the story of a pimp who shoots a well-to-do client who grossly disrespected a prostitute, and is then convicted and transferred to the infamous penitentiary.