Welcome to French Guiana, my 22nd Territory out of a global total of 71 and the last Territory of this trip. After my blog photos below are the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about this destination.
Our journey to French Guiana starting at 7am with pickups at two hotels. The 141km drive from Paramaribo to Albina border town took 2hrs 15min and cut its way through lush green flat forest. This area is close enough to the coast to support habituated communities along the way. Albina is small and looks poor. We cleared customs in a shed and walked out to a long thin covered wooden canoe to cross the Maroni River boarder into French Guiana (FG). Only 15min separated a country from a territory. Glenn, our driver for the entire stay in FG was waiting for us. He had an easy-going manner about him and would turn out to be our best driver, unlike Amarish just before him, who drove us to Glenn. From worst to best in one drive !!! Only Malcolm in Guyana currently holds the overall best driver AND guide title. Oddly there was no customs in FG unless Glenn had already submitted paperwork for us. The 190km drive from FG border Saint Laurent du Maroni to Kourou took 2.5hours. The landscape was same but different from Suriname - lush forest but thicker like rainforest and very hilly. Also, fewer houses and more isolated. We finally made a stop at a very small town with a local Chinese run shop which had heaps of French wine from 4EUR - I even bought an ice-cream with my UP Mastercard so I knew from this moment on that I would like FG - Viva La France !!!
We turned up at the highlight of today - The European Space Centre. This is essentially "the NASA of the European Union" started by France in 1964 with 12 other EU member countries contributing funding to keep it going. We visited this huge 660 sq km facility in a full-size coach with mostly French gringos from 1pm to 5pm. We drove 14km to the main operations centre and sat in a media room overlooking the control room in glass bubble below with rows of double computer screens and keyboards - a far cry from the old-fashioned green box panels that i had seen at the Kennedy Space Centre in Houston back in 2013. A guy and gal twin act explained the facility and two space programs in French ! We got our own brief explanation at our second stop. This facility only launches satellites into low and high Earth orbits and no people. Our second stop was back at the entrance in the JUPITER 2 BUILDING which is essentially like an airport control tower that launches the rockets into space. The building we left tracks and monitors the satellites once they are placed into their re-defined orbits by Jupiter 2 !!! Refer to the special post called THE EUROPEAN SPACE CENTRE IN A NUTSHELL at the bottom of this post to learn about the facility and rockets here.
I completed my visit with a terrific interview and dag dance before heading to what turned out to be the best hotel so far on AI CARAMBA PART 2 in the town of Kourou. Equipped with kitchenette fridge, microwave, suer cool aircon and even CNN it was like a true home away from home. Lucky for me I had Creole Chicken and veggies left over from the night before so maximised my blog and movie time.
Tuesday 24 February was a very relaxing day in FG and my entire trip to date. Too relaxing for me. It was an entire day catamaran cruise out to three islands, 17km and 100min each-way, off the coast from Kourou called Devils Island, Royale Island and Saint Joseph Island. These three islands were originally called “The Salvation Islands” because the French missionaries of the early 1700s escaped there to avoid the plague on the mainland. The “salvation” turned to “terror”. For 101 years (1852 to 1953) the islands were used as a French Penal Colony (like Port Arthur in Tasmania). Inmates included political prisoners (such as 239 republicans who opposed Napoleon III's coup d'état in 1851) and the most hardened of thieves and murderers. A total of 80,000 prisoners were sent here but none returned to France. All were badly mistreated with 75% succumbing to Malaria and their bodies dumped in the sea. The rest took residence in French Guiana. To prevent escape, wild hogs were slaughtered on the island and their blood dumped in the ocean to attract and keep sharks. The three islands assumed different roles. The highest and largest of the trio, Île Royale, became the main prison colony and home to not only cell blocks but also a hospital, a church, warders’ bungalows, a commandant’s mansion and a grand officers’ mess. It was also here that workshops of various sorts were located, as well as butchers, bakers, and other such facilities to support the outpost. The somewhat less accessible Île St-Joseph was reserved for extreme punishment: it was here that the cell blocks for solitary confinement were established. Here, inmates deemed “incorrectibles” would be kept from between six months and several years in total isolation, in small square cells with no windows but a grille of metal bars instead of a roof from where they were also overseen by the warders. And then there’s Île du Diable, or Devil’s Island, the most infamous of the trio. This was for political prisoners. And the best-known case was that of Alfred Dreyfus, a military officer from Alsace who was wrongly accused of treason in 1894, convicted under dubious circumstances and sent to Devil’s Island in 1895, where he was housed in a specially constructed cottage surrounded by a wall, and with zero human contact, except for the warders who were not, however, allowed to speak to him.
Korou by day was what I expected given the space Centre. Neat and tidy with modern shops and infrastructure - like France but wild, hot and humid. Buildings are out of the 1970s. The French Foreign Legion has a big base here to provide security for the Space Centre. There is even a Maccas here ! It was a short 5km drive to the catamaran but a long 100min sail through a rising swell to the first island. I stuffed up. 90min on the boat each way and back at the wharf at 530pm with no laptop to work on my blog ! Big mistake ! Could have caught up the blog and had tonight free ! Best I could do was to compose text and cull some photos on my Samsung camera phone to free up some time tonight. The rest would be boredom, aside from footage time on the islands and swimming.
Royal Island was the first stop and a long one ! 3hrs until 1:30pm. I walked around the entire island including the centre top that contained all the old buildings, most under restoration. The wind and swell increased making the coastline unswimmable. Only a small bit near the wharf where we were dropped off was calm enough for a dip. Took a dip and fell asleep under a palm tree not forgetting to set my alarm for the boat. At around 2pm we dropped anchor at next door St Joseph Island and spent 2hrs here. I walked around this island as well with a final dip at the jetty. I was pissed off that I could not get a distance swim in. The islands themselves have no beaches being surrounded by huge boulders and crashing waves given today’s high winds. The setting is scenic but lacks the calmness and colour and clarity of the Caribbean. The journey back was under sail and not motor and much smoother. Got back at 530pm with a stop at the supermarket before putting fingers to keyboard at 7pm to blog and wine away until bedtime.
Wednesday 25 February was an even easier day but started without a drop of water in my room. Turned out that a pipe had burst in Kourou and the whole town was out of water – so ironic, given this is the base town for the entire European Union Space Program !!! Today would see us visit Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana and then back to Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. Capital to Capital – 452km with 6hrs of driving and 15min of river border crossing. The 63km drive from Kourou to Cayenne took a bit over an hour. My first impressions of Cayenne (Pop 153,225) were not good ones. Old run-down Creole Buildings mixed in with eye-saws from the 1970s. Cayenne was not colonised until 1604 even though Columbus claimed it in 1500 stating that it was too hot. As we walked around it got better. We saw many restored Creole Buildings and a reasonable view from the Fort. In just 90min we visited the following places: Fresh Produce Markets, Saint Sauveur Cathedral, Place des Palmistes, Ecole Maternelle, Town Hall, Fort Ceperou, Place Victor Schoelcher, Place du Marche. No real highlights since the place was a mix-up of old and new. At around 11am we farewelled the capital and headed for the border. The drive was cool, unlike the heat outside reaching 33C at 90% humidity. Happy to brave it for a lunch break at the same Patisserie we stopped off on our way over. I opted for ice-cream made in the same shop – it was sublime. Our drive to the border was familiar territory since we went back the same way as before. I spent most of my time putting this post together because of the time I had lost on yesterday’s cruise but I was happy I had something to do and learn from.
We arrived at the river border city of Saint Laurent du Maroni around 3:30pm. This is the 2nd most populous city in Suriname. It is famous for its rum and infamous for its prison receiving felons and political prisoners from France for punishment and processing before sending them off to the Salvation Islands we visited yesterday. We toured the prison facility which is huge and well preserved. Once inside, it is very reminiscent of the Nazi Concentration Camps. Prisoners were kept in terrible conditions: 80 to a concrete hall, one bucket for toilet, 2 changes of clothes washed only in water every month and hard labour every day. Attempted escapes were met with solitary confinement followed by the guillotine. We even saw the prison cell of the most famous inmate, Henri Charrière (1906–1973), who managed to escape and wrote about his experience in the famous novel-turned-movie PAPILLON which was also his nickname in prison.
The boat trip across the border was rough but customs on both sides very smooth and quick. Our same driver, Amarish, was there to greet us and drive us the remaining 2hrs to Paramaribo. Boy, was I glad to feel water again in my Paramaribo eco-hotel !!! It was 730pm by the time I settled in so just enough time to post followed by my second favourite Curb episode – “The Grand Opening” end of Season 3 with the turrets-syndrome chef and Larry starting a swearing frenzy in his new restaurant.
French Guiana is a unique place of opposites, contrasting the old Creole world with the ultra-modern technology-driven space program. You have seen the Rockets, now have a look at the old Creole images of Cayenne…
THE EUROPEAN SPACE CENTRE IN A NUTSHELL
· Approved by French Government in 1964.
· Space Centre built by 13 EU Member Consortium called The European Space Agency (ESA) at a cost of 25 million Frech Francs ($USD47 million in 2025).
· A total of 3.6 billion Euro has been invested in the European Space Program from 1964 to 2025.
· Also called “The Guiana Space Centre”.
· Located in Kourou, 500km north of equator at 5 degrees North to take advantage of gravitational slingshot with less fuel, stable weather and open ocean.
· Space Centre location managed by French National Space Agency (CNES).
· Space Centre location funded by ESA (Like NASA).
· The private company Arianespace owns and operates the rockets (Like an Airline).
· Two major rocket types: Ariane and Vega.
· Arianespace commissions private company ArianeGroup to build the Ariane rockets and Avio for the Vega rockets,
· Rockets carry only satellites or experiments, not people.
· Latest Ariane-64 rocket (with giant central engine plus 4 boosters) can carry up to 11 tons of payload costing $USD125 million.
· Latest Vega-C rocket (one booster engine) can carry up to 2 tons of payload costing $USD45 million.
· First launch in 1968.
· Total launch pads = 7
· Total launces to date = 334
· Total failures to date = 21 (6.2%)
· Total payload delivered into Earth orbit = 2,110 metric tons.
· Proportion of global satellites launched here = 85%
· Total direct employees at Space Centre = 1,700.
· Total indirect employees at Space Centre = 7,500.
FRENCH GUIANA IN A NUTSHELL:
• Total Population (2025): 315,958.
• Median Age: 25 years.
• Urbanization: 94.5%.
• Fertility Rate: 3.3 children per woman.
• Diversity: At least 30% of the population is from Suriname, Haiti, and Brazil.
• Currency: Euro (€), as it is an overseas department of France and part of the Eurozone.
• The Guiana Space Centre accounts for 16% of the GDP and is a primary driver of the local economy.
• Unemployment (2025): 17%.
• Poverty: d 53% of the population live below the poverty line.
• Primary Exports: Gold, timber, shrimp, and rum.
• Total Land Area: 83,534 km².
• Forest Coverage: 98.9% tropical rainforest.
• Protected Land: 41%, making it the largest national park in the European Union.
• Life Expectancy: 77.2 years.
• Literacy: 83% of the total population.
BRIEF HISTORY OF FRENCH GUIANA:
French Guiana's history is characterized by its transition from an indigenous territory to a multi-national colonial battleground, and finally to an integral department of France and a global spaceport.
• Originally inhabited by various Native American groups, including the Kalina (Caribs), Arawak, Galibi, Palikur, Teko, Wayampi, and Wayana.
• 1500: Christopher Columbus explored the coast around 1500.
1503: Spanish settlers near Cayenne.
• 1643: France established its first lasting settlement at Cayenne.
• Control of the territory alternated frequently between France, the Netherlands, Britain, and Portugal for nearly 200 years.
• 1817: The Napoleonic Wars returned the territory to France.
• Africans were forcibly brought as slaves to work sugar and pepper plantations until France abolished slavery in 1848.
• 1852: France began using the territory as a brutal penal colony, transporting over 80,000 convicts to sites like the notorious Devil's Island.
• Famous Prisoners included Alfred Dreyfus and Henri Charrière, the latter of whom wrote the famous memoir Papillon.
• The penal system was officially closed between 1945 and 1953.
• 1946: French Guiana ceased being a colony and became an Overseas Department of France, granting its residents full French citizenship.
• 1964: Guiana Space Centre established in Kourou.
• Despite the wealth of the space program, the region has faced significant social inequality and high unemployment, leading to major general strikes and protests in 1996, 2008, and 2017.
• 2010: voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for increased autonomy, choosing to remain an integral part of the French state.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FRENCH GUIANA:
1. The only territory on mainland South America that remains under European sovereignty.
2. The World's Highest Forest Coverage at 98%.
3. Europe’s Primary Spaceport launching 85% of the world’s satellites into Earth orbit.
4. France shares its longest land border not with a European neighbour, but with Brazil (673 kilometres through the Amazon).
5. The Guiana Amazonian Park covers 41% of French Guiana's territory making it the largest national park in the European Union (34,000 sq km).
6. Infamous for the most penal colony deaths of any place on earth (Devils Island).
7. Home to the Longest Carnival in the World at 2 months.
8. Home to the largest nesting sites for the endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle.
9. French Guiana has one of the highest birth rates in France and South America.
10. A "Multi-National" Melting Pot: Indigenous peoples (and Carib), Maroons (descendants of escaped slaves), Creoles, Haiti, Brazil, Suriname, and Hmong refugees from Laos.
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