Kourou

Kourou exists because of the Guiana Space Centre, built here in 1968 when France needed a launch site near the equator, where the earth's rotation gives a rocket an extra boost eastwards. Ariane and Vega lift off over the sea from pads a few kilometres out of town, and a launch can be watched from the Carapa viewing site by prior booking. Free guided tours run through the control rooms and assembly buildings on weekdays. The space museum explains the whole programme in two floors. The equator lies about six hundred kilometres south, which is exactly why the site was chosen.