French Guiana, an overseas region of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America, appears to be a magnet for immigrants, both legal and illegal, from all over the world.

The 2,000km-long frontier of French Guiana - which consists of a single department - is bordered between Suriname and Brazil by rivers, making its borders porous and difficult to police.

These factors, as well as what local politician Paulin Brune calls "liberal" French immigration laws, have made the region a gateway to Europe.

Al Jazeera's Anand Naidoo reports from Cayenne, French Guiana's capital.