Cayenne is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "fert aurum industria" which means "work brings wealth". Tropical-colored Creole-style houses sit beside hilltop ruins of the French colonial Fort Cépérou, which overlooks the Cayenne River.