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Cayenne market (4)
Photo: Cayenne market

French Guiana
1,873 Photos
4° 34′ N, 52° 59′ W

Description

French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France on the north Atlantic coast of South America. It borders Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west.

Its 83,534 km² area has a very low population density of less than 3 inhabitants per km², with half of its 239,450 people in 2012 living in the metropolitan area of Cayenne, its capital.

By land area, it is by far the largest overseas region of France. A large part of the department’s economy derives from the presence of the Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais), now the European Space Agency’s primary launch site near the equator.

Map

Map: French Guiana
Map: French Guiana

List of sights
1,873 Photos

Acarouany (115)
Photo: Acarouany

Acarouany
87 Photos

The Acarouany leprosarium is a historical monument of French Guiana located in the town of Mana. In the 18th century, leprosy, imported by European settlers …

Map: Acarouany
Map: Acarouany
Annamite Prison (121)
Photo: Annamite Prison

Annamite Prison
42 Photos

The Bagne des Annamites was established in June 1930 and consisted of seven wood buildings with the house of the camp leaders, dungeons and a dining hall. …

Map: Annamite Prison
Map: Annamite Prison
Awala-Yalimapo (96)
Photo: Awala-Yalimapo

Awala-Yalimapo
15 Photos

Awala-Yalimapo is a commune on the north coast of French Guiana, close to the border with Suriname. Awala and Yalimapo are French Guiana’s northern-most …

Map: Awala-Yalimapo
Map: Awala-Yalimapo
Cacao (219) Cacao market
Photo: Cacao, Cacao market

Cacao
80 Photos

Cacao is a town in French Guiana, lying on the Comte River to the south of Cayenne. Most of the town’s population are Hmong farmers, refugees from Laos

Map: Cacao
Map: Cacao
Camp Caiman (87)
Photo: Camp Caiman

Camp Caiman
34 Photos

Located 40 km from Roura, near the Camp Caiman, this cave where hundreds of bats are living, sinks into the ground. Tree roots will pick water through cracks …

Map: Camp Caiman
Map: Camp Caiman
Cayenne market (15)
Photo: Cayenne market

Cayenne
42 Photos

Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city is located on the banks of the estuary …

Map: Cayenne
Map: Cayenne
Dam Petit Saut (890)
Photo: Dam Petit Saut

Dam Petit Saut
88 Photos

The dam of Petit-Saut is a dam located in the department of French Guiana between the towns of Sinnamary and Saint-Élie. Its dam lake, with an area of about …

Map: Dam Petit Saut
Map: Dam Petit Saut
Diamond Fortification (22)
Photo: Diamond Fortification

Diamond Fortification
10 Photos

The Fort Diamant is a castle near Rémire-Montjoly in French Guiana whose construction began in 1840 and ended in 1849. It is a building of 150 m² built …

Map: Diamond Fortification
Map: Diamond Fortification
Roches Gravées de la Carapa (447)
Photo: Roches Gravées de la Carapa

Engraved Rocks of Carapa
74 Photos

The Engraved Rocks of Carapa (Roches Gravées de la Carapa), rediscovered in 1992, is the largest set of rock carvings discovered in French Guiana. The site, …

Map: Engraved Rocks of Carapa
Map: Engraved Rocks of Carapa
Serpent de Pascaud (9)
Photo: Serpent de Pascaud

Engraved Rocks of Mahury
16 Photos

The seven Engraved Rocks of Mahury (Roches Gravées de Mahury) form a historic monument in French Guiana, registered as such by decree of the 8th of March …

Map: Engraved Rocks of Mahury
Map: Engraved Rocks of Mahury
Favard Mountain (187)
Photo: Favard Mountain

Favard Mountain
18 Photos

The Engraved Rocks of the Favard Mountain (Montagne Favard) is an historical monument in French Guiana. The site is registered as an historic monument by …

Map: Favard Mountain
Map: Favard Mountain
Fourgassier Falls (39)
Photo: Fourgassier Falls

Fourgassier Falls
11 Photos

The Fourgassier Falls (Chutes de Fourgassier) are located a few kilometres from Roura in direction of the Marais de Kaw.

Map: Fourgassier Falls
Map: Fourgassier Falls
French Guiana Zoo (185) Jaguar
Photo: French Guiana Zoo, Jaguar

French Guiana Zoo
52 Photos

The 160 acre of the French Guiana Zoo (Zoo de Guyane) in Macouria is home to over 70 native animal species, giving visitors the opportunity to admire the …

Map: French Guiana Zoo
Map: French Guiana Zoo
Gabriel Creek (206)
Photo: Gabriel Creek

Gabriel Creek
27 Photos

The Gabriel Creek (Crique Gabriel) is often presented as the most beautiful creeks of French Guiana, but it is overall the nearest one to Cayenne (about …

Map: Gabriel Creek
Map: Gabriel Creek
Soyuz VS03 roll-Out (300)
Photo: Soyuz VS03 roll-Out

Guiana Space Centre
206 Photos

The Guiana Space Centre or, more commonly, Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) is a French spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. Operational since 1968, it …

Map: Guiana Space Centre
Map: Guiana Space Centre
Iracoubo (31)
Photo: Iracoubo

Iracoubo
19 Photos

Iracoubo is a commune on the coast of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The settlement of Iracoubo, seat …

Map: Iracoubo
Map: Iracoubo
Island of the Grand Constable (526)
Photo: Island of the Grand Constable

Island of the Grand Constable
32 Photos

The Island of the Grand Constable (Île du Grand Connétable) is located 18 km off the mouth of the Approuague in French Guiana. With the Island of Small Constable

Map: Island of the Grand Constable
Map: Island of the Grand Constable
Islet la Mère (1369) Squirrel monkey
Photo: Islet la Mère, Squirrel monkey

Islet la Mère
70 Photos

The Islets of Rémire are a small archipelago of four islands off the town of Rémire-Montjoly (La Mère, Le Père, Le Malingre, Les Mamelles (two islets)). …

Map: Islet la Mère
Map: Islet la Mère
Kaw Swamp (197)
Photo: Kaw Swamp

Kaw-Roura Marshland
80 Photos

The Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve (Kaw Marshland or Marais de Kaw) is one of six natural reserves created by the French government in French Guiana

Map: Kaw-Roura Marshland
Map: Kaw-Roura Marshland
Kourou (10) Kourou Market
Photo: Kourou, Kourou Market

Kourou
36 Photos

★ For the photos of the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, follow this link.Kourou is located 60 km north-west of the capital Cayenne at the mouth of the Kourou River

Map: Kourou
Map: Kourou
Kourou River (157)
Photo: Kourou River

Kourou River
64 Photos

The Kourou is a river in French Guiana with a length of 112 km. The city of Kourou is at its mouth to the Atlantic Ocean. Its estuary is home to the marina. …

Map: Kourou River
Map: Kourou River
La Mirande Trail (488)
Photo: La Mirande Trail

La Mirande Trail
42 Photos

The La Mirande Trail (Sentier de la Mirande) winds through the Mount Grand-Matoury, a nature reserve mainly populated by birds. The wildlife encounters …

Map: La Mirande Trail
Map: La Mirande Trail
Loyola Trail (25)
Photo: Loyola Trail

Loyola Trail
22 Photos

On the Loyola Trail (Sentier de Loyola) are the vestiges of an immense colonial exploitation run by Jesuits.

Map: Loyola Trail
Map: Loyola Trail
Maripasoula (608)
Photo: Maripasoula

Maripasoula
100 Photos

Maripasoula is a French commune in the department of French Guiana. The town, the largest in France, and one of the least densely populated, is the border …

Map: Maripasoula
Map: Maripasoula
Monkey Mountain (531) Hyla boans
Photo: Monkey Mountain, Hyla boans

Monkey Mountain
102 Photos

The Montagne des Singes (Monkey Mountain) is located south-west of the city of Kourou, 15 km towards the Dégrad Saramaca. It rises to 161 m and some tributaries …

Map: Monkey Mountain
Map: Monkey Mountain
Montsinéry - Tonnegrande (139)
Photo: Montsinéry - Tonnegrande

Montsinéry - Tonnegrande
28 Photos

Montsinéry-Tonnegrande, formerly Viriot, is a commune of French Guiana. It is surrounded by rivers and mangroves.

Map: Montsinéry - Tonnegrande
Map: Montsinéry - Tonnegrande
Paul Isnard Track (95)
Photo: Paul Isnard Track

Paul Isnard Track
34 Photos

The Piste Paul Isnard is a road in French Guiana. It is named after an old gold miner. At the end of the road, two sites were exploited: Citron and Paul Isnard

Map: Paul Isnard Track
Map: Paul Isnard Track
Pripri de Yiyi (1972)
Photo: Pripri de Yiyi

Pripri de Yiyi
72 Photos

The great Pripri de Yiyi is located on the municipalities of Sinnamary and Iracoubo, and covers about 15,000 ha. This ecosystem occupies a central position …

Map: Pripri de Yiyi
Map: Pripri de Yiyi
Rorota Trail (1213)
Photo: Rorota Trail

Rorota Trail
43 Photos

With a length of 5 km, the Rorota Trail (Sentier du Rorota) connects the lakes of Rorota, of Lalouette and of Rémire in the municipality of Rémire-Montjoly

Map: Rorota Trail
Map: Rorota Trail
Saint Jean du Maroni (282) Crique Serpent
Photo: Saint Jean du Maroni, Crique Serpent

Saint Jean du Maroni
19 Photos

Saint-Jean-du-Maroni is a town in French Guiana, in the commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni on the Maroni River, directly opposite the Suriname Village of …

Map: Saint Jean du Maroni
Map: Saint Jean du Maroni
Saint Laurent du Maroni (19) Camp de la Transportation
Photo: Saint Laurent du Maroni, Camp de la Transportation

Saint Laurent du Maroni
8 Photos

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, called simply Saint-Laurent, is a French commune located in the department of French Guiana. In 2010, it was the second most populous …

Map: Saint Laurent du Maroni
Map: Saint Laurent du Maroni
Salines de Montjoly (574)
Photo: Salines de Montjoly

Salines de Montjoly
66 Photos

The Salines de Montjoly along Montjoly beach, cross the coastal marshes and dune vegetation, and lead to the observatory of the Kwata association where …

Map: Salines de Montjoly
Map: Salines de Montjoly
Salvation Islands (1306) Saint-Joseph Island
Photo: Salvation Islands, Saint-Joseph Island

Salvation Islands
168 Photos

The Iles du Salut (Salvation Islands) are a group of small islands of volcanic origin about 11 km from the coast of French Guiana (14 km north of Kourou

Map: Salvation Islands
Map: Salvation Islands
Tresor Trail (527)
Photo: Tresor Trail

Trésor Trail
48 Photos

The Tresor Trail (Sentier Trésor) is named after the Trésor mine, which was used for many years for its deposits of gold, then abandoned. The few remnants …

Map: Trésor Trail
Map: Trésor Trail
Trou Poissons - Cemetery of the Fathers (79)
Photo: Trou Poissons - Cemetery of the Fathers

Trou Poissons - Cemetery of the Fathers
18 Photos

Between 1797 and 1799 more than a thousand priests were sentenced to transportation in French Guiana, because they refused to take the oath to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Map: Trou Poissons - Cemetery of the Fathers
Map: Trou Poissons - Cemetery of the Fathers