French Guiana

By Sophonie AUGUSTE (grade 10 European section)

The first inhabitants

The first inhabitants of Amazonia

came from East Asia more than

6,000 years ago after passing

through the Pacific Ocean. They

are the source of the Native

American civilization. In French

Guiana, in the heart of the forest,

there are archaeological traces of

their passage: pottery, rock

carvings, polishers…

Christopher Columbus in French Guiana

After the discovery of America

on October 12th, 1492,

Chistopher Columbus began

trips to explore America.

On August 1st, 1498, Christopher

Columbus entered the Gulf of

Paria in Venezuela after

skirting the coast of French

Guiana. But it was Vincente

Yanez Pinzon who would

explore it two years later.

French Guiana, a slave territory

● Since 1656 Dutch settlers

brought with them African

slaves.

● The first French settled

in 1664. They were in

competition with the British

and the Dutch.

● In 1676, French Guiana

became a French territory and

a slave colony. A development

allowed the export of achiote,

indigo, cotton, sugar cane,

coffee, vanilla, exotic wood.

Disembarkation of African slaves

in French Guiana.

French Guiana, a slave territory

● In 1685, Colbert, Louis XIV's

Minister organized the slave

system by enacting "The Black

Code".

● In 1794, under the Republic, a

statute abolished slavery

officially. But, it will be

restored in 1802 by Napoleon

Bonaparte.

African slave

● Some black people refused to

become slaves and went

maroons . They fled into the

forest, joining the « Maroons"

of former Dutch Guiana (now

Suriname) already settled.

They are the ancestors of

Bush-Negroes living today

mainly along the banks of the

Maroni river.

Marooning in French Guiana

A maroon

● The abolition of slavery in

1848 and the departure of

slaves from plantations

collapsed French Guianese

economy.

● In 1852, Napoleon III put in

place a penal colony in French

Guiana for relégué people (sentenced people). There

were several prisons in

different places (Saint-Laurent

du Maroni, Montsinery-

Tonnégrande…).

From 1848 to 1946

Cells

The Devil’s Island

● In 1855, the first gold mining

site was found on a tributary of

the Aprouague.

● In 1946, Gaston Monnerville

definitely closed the penal

colony.

● And, in 1946, French Guiana

became an oversea department.

From 1848 to 1946

● Gaston Monnerville

Nowadays

● In 1965, the Guiana Space

Center was built in and space

activity quickly became an

important part of both the

economy and French Guianese

life.

● Since 1982, with the

decentralization laws, French

Guiana became a region. A

transfer of competences from

national to local authorities

was set up.

Ariane 5 launcher

Nowadays

● Migration flows are increasing,

particularly related to social

and economic crises of Brazil,

Suriname and Haiti.

● There will be soon only one

local authority combining the

Region and the department

authorities.

French Guiana coat of arms