Cacao, French Guiana
Cacao is a village in French Guiana, lying on the Comté river [fr] 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]
Overview
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) |
Mean daily maximum °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) |
Mean daily minimum °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
- ^ a b c d e "Des Hmongs en Guyane". ANAI Asso.org (National Association of Elders and Friends of Indochina) (in French). Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Cacao: an authentic Hmong village". Air France. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Bourg de Cacao". Roura.gf via Wikimix (in French). Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "LE PLANEUR BLEU". Petite Fute (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Tous les carbets pour : "Cacao (commune de Roura)". Escapade Carbet (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Cacao via Facebook" (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Normales et records pour Cacao (973)". Meteociel. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
Further reading
- BBC Article about the Hmong of Cacao
- New York Times: From a Hinterland, Hmong Forge a Home
External links
- Cacao village via Facebook
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