Kourou
| Kourou | ||
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A view of the allée du Bac, in Kourou
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 Location of the commune (in red) in French Guiana |
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| Coordinates: 5°09′35″N 52°39′01″W / 5.1597°N 52.6503°WCoordinates: 5°09′35″N 52°39′01″W / 5.1597°N 52.6503°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Overseas region and department | French Guiana | |
| Arrondissement | Cayenne | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014-2020) | François Ringuet | |
| Area1 | 2,160 km2 (830 sq mi) | |
| Population (Jan. 2011)2 | 25,260 | |
| • Density | 12/km2 (30/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 97304 / 97310 | |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. In addition to being an administrative district in French Guiana, it is also the main town in that district.
Within the Kourou district lies the Guiana Space Centre, France and the European Space Agency's main spaceport.
Some 60 km (37 mi) northwest of the French Guyanese capital Cayenne the Kourou River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. At the mouth of this river sits the town of Kourou, which is ringed by four hills: Carapa, Pariacabo, Café and Lombard, with the Singes and Condamine mountains not far behind. There are three lakes within the town's city limits: Lake Bois Diable (where one can take lessons in jetski and other aquatic sports), Lake Marie-Claire (the smallest and calmest), and Lake Bois Chaudat (the biggest of the three; also open to sport lovers, especially canoers and kayakers). Long white sand beaches and some rocky outcrops line the town's ocean coast, the riverbank and all points inland consisting mostly of mangrove and dense tropical rainforest.
The town had a fast-growing population of 25,918 inhabitants at the 2007 census. Its inhabitants can be classified into three ethnic groups of roughly equal size:
The Saramaka mostly settled in the quartier Saramaka, along the river. Much of it burned down in a fire in 2006, and hasn't yet fully recovered.
Guiana in general has a high level of crime compared to the rest of France's départements; Kourou has an average of two armed robberies a day. A march protesting the high level of insecurity felt by most of the population was held in Kourou on 27 October 2006. Shopkeepers of Chinese descent in particular are often targeted by armed robbers, their cash registers emptied and some products stolen.
Kourou is the port of departure for those going to the îles du Salut, of which the most famous is Devil's Island. It is also common for many to go up the river in canoes on weekends to camp in the forest.
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Wikipedia