Kourou

Kourou is a town and commune in French Guiana, some 40 km northwest of the capital Cayenne at the mouth of the Kourou river on the Atlantic coast. It has a population of 20,000, many of whom are Metropolitan French, earning Kourou the nickname 'White City.' The Centre Spatial Guyanais (Guiana Space Centre), where the European Space Agency starts missions, is located outside the town. Kourou was formerly a prison colony: see Devil's Island. Part of the town is closed during rocket launch.