In 1938, the French government stopped sending prisoners to Devil’s Island. In 1953, the prison system was finally closed entirely
Today, Île Royale is a tourist site, but the other two islands remain off limits to visitors.
Statistically speaking, French Guiana is the most prosperous region in all of South America. Much of this economic wealth is due to subsidies from France itself, but French Guiana has found some new life as the location of the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG),
or the Guiana Space Centre in English, which is located a short distance along the coast from Kourou.
The Space Centre has grown considerably since the initial launches of the Véronique rockets.
It is now part of the European space industry and has had commercial success with such launches as the Ariane 4
and Ariane 5.
The Centre employs large numbers of highly skilled technical workers which has transformed to a large degree the demographic makeup of the region.
There are also mining interests in French Guiana, especially gold mining, although these activities are sometimes complicated by competing territorial claims made by neighboring Suriname. Illegal mining by Brazilian migrants is also a complication.
Other economic activity is limited, although development increases, with gains made in fishing and agriculture exports.
Transport options in and to French Guiana remain limited and the most direct route continues to be daily trans-Atlantic flights from Paris. Other air routes connect with Paramaribo in Suriname, as well as connections to the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, both of which are connected by Air France flights from Miami.
Occasionally, smaller cruise ships will dock at Île Royale, which is the means by which we visited French Guiana, as a stopover on the way to the Amazon River.
Road connections are now available from Brazil following the completion of a bridge
between Saint Georges-de-l’Oyapock
in French Guiana and Oiapoque
in Brazil with road connections continuing as far south as Macapa.
There is also a coastal route that connects Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, although several ferries are involved on that route and the road quality can vary considerably from country to country
The flag of French Guiana is a relatively recent addition to the world of flags. The Guianese General Council officially adopted the departmental flag in 2010.
Interestingly, in a referendum that same year, French Guianans voted against autonomy from France, perhaps recognizing that the economic benefits of a continued association far outweigh any potential benefits associated with greater political autonomy. This has been a decision made by many,