Cacao, French Guiana

Cacao is a village in French Guiana, lying on the Comté river to the south of Cayenne. Most of the population are Hmong farmers, refugees from Laos who were resettled in French Guiana in[2] 1977.[3] The reasoning was that living, and working conditions were similar to their native land.[1] As of 2007, the village had a population of 750 people.[1]

Cacao
Village
The village of Cacao
The village of Cacao
Cacao is located in French Guiana
Cacao
Cacao
Location in French Guiana
Coordinates: 4°34′10″N 52°28′9″W
CountryFrance
Overseas regionFrench Guiana
ArrondissementCayenne
CommuneRoura
Population
 (2007)[1]
 • Total750

Overview
Cacao Market

The village is four blocks in size, with narrow streets. Local commercial outlets include restaurants, grocery and bread stores. There are two primary schools, but no secondary education facilities.[1] Public buildings include an insect museum,[4] a library, a church, and gendarmerie. There is also a Sunday morning market at which Hmong weaving, embroidery and food can be purchased.[3] The main hotel in Cacao is L'Auberge des Orpailleurs.[5] Tourist activities include jungle tours, canoeing and kayaking. During December the village hosts a Hmong New Year's festival that lasts about 3–4 days.[6]

Economy

The economy is based on agriculture. The villagers have 1,375 hectares of land. A freshwater prawn farm has been setup and is exporting 1 to 1.2 tons to the United States and Puerto Rico every month. A sawmill employs 70 people.[1]

Geography

Climate

Cacao has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af). The average annual temperature in Cacao is 27.1 °C (80.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 3,657.8 mm (144.01 in) with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in October, at around 27.9 °C (82.2 °F), and lowest in January, at around 26.4 °C (79.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Cacao was 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) on 31 October 1999; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 17.1 °C (62.8 °F) on 25 February 1980.

Climate data for Cacao (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.0
(95.0)		 34.5
(94.1)		 34.6
(94.3)		 35.0
(95.0)		 35.5
(95.9)		 35.0
(95.0)		 36.5
(97.7)		 36.5
(97.7)		 36.7
(98.1)		 37.5
(99.5)		 37.0
(98.6)		 35.5
(95.9)		 37.5
(99.5)
Average high °C (°F) 30.4
(86.7)		 30.5
(86.9)		 30.8
(87.4)		 31.1
(88.0)		 31.1
(88.0)		 31.6
(88.9)		 32.2
(90.0)		 33.2
(91.8)		 33.8
(92.8)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33.0
(91.4)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.9
(89.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.4
(79.5)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.7
(80.1)		 27.0
(80.6)		 27.0
(80.6)		 27.0
(80.6)		 27.0
(80.6)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.9
(82.2)		 27.5
(81.5)		 26.8
(80.2)		 27.1
(80.8)
Average low °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3)		 22.4
(72.3)		 22.5
(72.5)		 22.8
(73.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 22.4
(72.3)		 21.9
(71.4)		 21.9
(71.4)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.9
(71.4)		 22.0
(71.6)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.3
(72.1)
Record low °C (°F) 18.0
(64.4)		 17.1
(62.8)		 18.4
(65.1)		 18.5
(65.3)		 19.0
(66.2)		 19.8
(67.6)		 19.0
(66.2)		 19.5
(67.1)		 19.0
(66.2)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.5
(65.3)		 19.0
(66.2)		 17.1
(62.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 394.7
(15.54)		 345.1
(13.59)		 338.3
(13.32)		 459.0
(18.07)		 570.9
(22.48)		 397.1
(15.63)		 252.8
(9.95)		 161.9
(6.37)		 102.2
(4.02)		 105.8
(4.17)		 185.1
(7.29)		 344.9
(13.58)		 3,657.8
(144.01)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 24.8 21.4 21.7 23.5 28.1 25.8 23.5 17.6 12.5 12.2 16.9 24.2 252.1
Source: Meteociel[7]

References
  1. "Des Hmongs en Guyane". ANAI Asso.org (National Association of Elders and Friends of Indochina) (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. "Cacao: an authentic Hmong village". Air France. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. "Bourg de Cacao". Roura.gf via Wikimix (in French). Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  4. "LE PLANEUR BLEU". Petite Fute (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  5. "Tous les carbets pour : "Cacao (commune de Roura)". Escapade Carbet (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  6. "Cacao via Facebook" (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  7. "Normales et records pour Cacao (973)". Meteociel. Retrieved 4 June 2022.

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