Cayenne 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.
Cayenne is the administrative and commercial center of French Guiana and is home to 40,000 inhabitants. As well as interesting architecture, the city offers shopping, small museums, a 17th C fort and a traditional market full of exotic aromas.
Cayenne is located at the western end of a small, hilly peninsula between the Cayenne and Mahury rivers on the Atlantic coast. The French established their first settlement here after acquiring land from the Amerindian Chief Cépérou in 1643. The city is named Cayenne after another chief of the period. Cayenne's harbor is too shallow for large ships. Larger ships dock at nearby Degrad des Cannes.