Devil's Island is a former penal colony located off the coast of French Guiana. It was one of three islands that made up the French penal colony known as "Iles du Salut," which operated from 1852 to 1953. Devil's Island is the smallest and most infamous of the three islands and is known for its brutal conditions and high mortality rate. Inmates were sent to Devil's Island for political crimes, as well as for common crimes.

The island is located about 5 miles off the coast of French Guiana and is surrounded by rocky cliffs and dense jungle. The prison was known for its harsh conditions, including disease, malnourishment, and extreme heat. Inmates were forced to perform hard labor and were subjected to inhumane treatment.

Despite its grim history, Devil's Island has become a popular tourist destination in recent years. Visitors can take a ferry from the mainland to visit the abandoned prison buildings, including the main prison, the hospital, and the governor's house. The island is also home to a small museum that showcases the history of the penal colony and the lives of the prisoners who were once held there.

Devil's island

The Guiana Space Centre is a spaceport located in Kourou, French Guiana, a department of France located on the northeastern coast of South America. It was established in 1968 by the French government as a site for launching satellites into orbit. Today, it is operated by the French space agency CNES, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Arianespace, a commercial company that provides launch services.

The location of the spaceport near the equator provides several advantages for launching rockets, including the ability to carry more payload, a shorter flight time to geostationary orbit, and a reduced need for rocket fuel due to the Earth's rotation. The Guiana Space Centre is primarily used for launching satellites into geostationary orbit, which is a specific orbit around the Earth where a satellite appears to remain fixed over one location on the Earth's surface.

The spaceport is equipped with a number of launch facilities, including the Ariane launch complex, which is used to launch the Ariane family of rockets, as well as the Soyuz launch complex, which is used to launch the Soyuz rockets. The spaceport also has facilities for preparing and testing satellites prior to launch, as well as facilities for tracking and communicating with satellites after launch.

The Guiana Space Centre has played an important role in the development of the European space program, with numerous ESA and commercial satellite launches taking place from the site. In recent years, the spaceport has also been used for launching the Galileo navigation satellites, which form part of the European Union's global navigation satellite system. The spaceport is also involved in the development of the next-generation Ariane 6 rocket, which is expected to enter service in the 2020s.

Things to do in French Guiana Places

Devil's island

Guiana Space Centre