Cayenne

Cayenne
/kuy en", kay-/, n.
1. a seaport in and the capital of French Guiana. 19,668.
2. (l.c.) Also called cayenne whist. a variety of whist played with two full packs of 52 cards each.

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Seaport (pop., 1999: 50,594), capital of French Guiana.

The city was founded by the French in 1643 on northwestern Cayenne Island, which is formed by the estuaries of the Cayenne and Mahury rivers. In the mid-19th century it became a centre of French penal settlements in Guiana and was known as the "city of the condemned" (see Devils Island). The prisons were closed in 1945.

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      capital and Atlantic Ocean port of French Guiana. It is located at the northwestern end of Cayenne Island, which is formed by the estuaries of the Cayenne and Mahury rivers. Founded in 1643 by the French as La Ravardière, it was reoccupied in 1664 after destruction by the Indians and was declared a city and renamed Cayenne in 1777. After the emancipation of slaves in 1848, it became a centre of French (French Guiana) penal settlements in Guiana, established mainly as compensatory labour sources. In 1852 Napoleon III decreed that convicts with sentences of more than seven years were to be sent to French Guiana, and Cayenne became known as the city of the condemned. The prisons were closed in 1945.

      The port of Dégrad des Cannes, on the estuary of the river Mahury, has become the major port, replacing Larivot and the Îles du Salut. Timber, rosewood essence, rum, and gold are exported in small quantities. In the mid-1960s sugarcane and pineapple were planted around the city, and a pineapple cannery and a shrimp-processing plant were later built. A seafront avenue links Cayenne with the suburbs of Chaton and Montabo, where the French Institute of Tropical America and the Pasteur Institute are located. Historic landmarks include the Church of the Holy Saviour and a prefecture on the Place d'Armes. There is an international airport. Pop. (2003 est.) city, 60,500; urban agglom., 84,181.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • CAYENNE — Chef lieu de la Guyane, département français d’outre mer, Cayenne se situe sur l’estuaire de la Cayenne et du Mahury; elle rassemblait 41 200 habitants en 1990, soit 32 p. 100 de la population totale du département. En 1635, les Français… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Cayenne — Cayenne …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • CAYENNE — CAYENNE, island separated by rivers from the mainland of French Guyana, today a French overseas department. On September 12, 1659, the Dutch West India Company (Amsterdam chamber) granted David Nassy, a refugee from Dutch Brazil, and his partners …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Cayenne — Cay*enne, n. [From Cayenne, a town and island in French Guiana, South America.] Cayenne pepper. [1913 Webster] {Cayenne pepper}. (a) (Bot.) A species of {Capsicum} ({Capsicum frutescens}) with small and intensely pungent fruit. (b) A very pungent …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cayenne — (also cayenne pepper) ► NOUN ▪ a pungent, hot tasting red powder prepared from dried chillies. ORIGIN Tupi, later associated with Cayenne in French Guiana …   English terms dictionary

  • Cayenne [1] — Cayenne (spr. Kajenn), 1) (Französisch Guyana), französische Colonie an der NOKüste von Südamerika, 1400 QM.; besteht aus dem Küstenlande am Atlantischen Ocean (im SO. u. S. an Brasilien, im W. an Niederländisch Guyana grenzend), der gegenüber… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • cayenne — 1756, from Tupi (Brazil) kyynha, mistakenly associated with town of Cayenne in French Guyana. The town name is the French form of Guyana …   Etymology dictionary

  • Cayenne [2] — Cayenne (spr. Kajenn), eine Variation des Whistspieles, s.d …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cayenne [3] — Cayenne (spr. Kajenn), 1) (C. à fond chine, spr. C. a fong schihn), halbseidenes Zeug mit Streifen, zu Sommerkleidern für Männer u. Frauen; in der Schweiz fabricirt; 2) Sorte französischer Leinwand …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cayenne [1] — Cayenne (spr. kăjenn ), Kartenspiel, s. Whist …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cayenne [2] — Cayenne (spr. kăjenn ), Insel an der Küste von Französisch Guayana, im NW. durch den Fluß C., im SW. und S. durch den Tour del Isle vom Festland getrennt, 11 km lang, 8 km breit, 420 qkm groß, ist im N. hügelig, im S. niedrig, hat eine Regenzeit… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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