In the eastern part of South America is located the overseas department (administrative-territorial unit) of France - Guiana. In our article, we will focus on this particular place. Previously, this territory, which now occupies an area of 90 thousand km², was called "French Guiana."
The reason for this clarification was that once there were five colonies under the general name "Guiana": Spanish, British, Dutch, Portuguese and French. After a certain time, the Spanish colony became the east of Venezuela. Since 1966, British Guiana has transformed into an independent state of Guyana.
The Netherlands is now officially called the Republic of Suriname. And the Portuguese in our time is the north of Brazil.
Geographical location of the country
French Guiana is located in such a way that it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean from the north. And its mainland is located between Brazil and Suriname.
History
The first Europeans to land on the territory of the future overseas department of the French Republic were the Spanish mariners in 1499. After 105 years, French immigrants began to settle it. In 1635, a fortification was founded, around which an administrative center was formed - the city of Cayenne.
Beginning in the 17th and the next hundred years, Guiana was ruled by Great Britain and the Netherlands. At the beginning of the XIX century (1817), France officially secured this territory.
As a result of the unfavorable tropical climate, there were few who wished to relocate to South America. Therefore, France began massively importing black slaves from the African continent.
During the years of the French Revolution and subsequent years in Guiana, a struggle began for the abolition of the working and living conditions of slaves as for the bulk of the population. According to documents, officially such work was canceled in the department in 1848. From the end of the 18th century until the end of hostilities in World War II, the French government used Guiana as a place of forced hard labor for state political criminals. Since 1946, Guiana has become the overseas department of France.
Capital - Cayenne
What is the name of the capital of French Guiana? How is she interesting? More on this later in the article. The city of Cayenne, which is more than 350 years old, is considered the capital of French Guiana. About 50 thousand indigenous people live there (mainly blacks and mulattos).
The village is located on a small peninsula between the Cayenne River (a river 50 km long) and the main body of water - Makhuri, which is more than 170 km long.
The main attractions are located in the main city of the French department. The Place de Grenoble square, which is located in the western part of the capital, is very popular among Guiana's tourists. The peculiarity of this area of the city lies in the fact that it contains the main attractions of the city.
Lusso channel
In the central part of the city of Cayenne, not far from the fish market, there is the Lusso Canal - the main city waterway.
Construction began in 1777. For four years, Guiana prisoners manually dug it.
Now the canal, designed by architect Sirdei, is a favorite vacation spot for residents and visitors of the city.
Departmental-Franconi Museum
On the banks of the Lussot Canal, tourists pay attention to the house in which the family of philanthropist (person involved in charity) Alexander Franconi lived.
Now the building houses the Museum of the Department-Franconi. It was founded in 1901. Tourists can see the expositions related to the history of the department, household items of past centuries and other diverse museum expositions.
Piazza de Palmistes
The main square of the capital and the pride of the indigenous people is de Palmistes. It got its name due to the large number of palm trees planted throughout its territory. Previously, a pasture for livestock was located on this place.
In the middle of the XIX century, by decision of the city leadership, palm trees were planted around the entire perimeter of the future city square. Then the construction of urban infrastructure began. In 1957, a magnificent arch was erected. It was built in honor of the first governor of Cayenne - Felix Eboue.
Now tourists can visit a variety of cafes and restaurants, surrounded by 25-meter palm trees and taste national cuisine.
Museum of Guiana Culture
In 1998, a museum of Guianan culture was opened on Madame Payet Street, in which guests of the city can see exhibits related to the culture of various ethnic groups that once inhabited the territory of Guiana. Visitors are given the opportunity to inspect household items of those times, national costumes and various exhibits related to religious rites. The museum has a garden. There you can see all kinds of medicinal plants that grow in South America.
Cayenne Beach Areas
In addition to exploring the main attractions, tourists can pay attention to beach vacations on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
In the village of Remy-Monjoli (10 km from Cayenne) is, according to guests of the city, the most beautiful area. Here, in addition to outdoor activities among palm trees, you can see the ruins of a small fort of the 18th century and the old cane sugar plant.
On the Marconi River (Avala – Yalimapo municipality), there is Hates Beach. Tourists from many countries of the world seek to visit this area. Hates became popular thanks to leathery turtles living in this area, having a length of more than two meters with a weight of 400 kg. They are considered the largest of all living sea turtles. Vacationers can swim in the clear river water. They also have the opportunity to swim with these peace-loving turtles, which appeared on the planet 200 million years ago.
Guiana Space Center
At a distance of 50 km from Cayenne between the cities of Sinnamari and Kourou is a landmark of the late XX century. It is officially called the Guiana Space Center.
In 1964, the government was given fourteen spaceport location projects. Then it was decided to begin construction near the city of Kourou (French Guiana).
This is due to the fact that this region is located at a distance of 500 km from the conventional sectional line of the earth's surface by a plane passing through the center of the Earth (equator).
Therefore, this territory is advantageous for launching satellites into orbit and launch vehicles. At the same time, they develop additional speed, making it easier for them to push off from the Earth.
Thus, in French Guiana, the cosmodrome, built in 1968, has become one of the most versatile centers. It attracts all space centers of other countries of the world to cooperation.
In 1975, the International Space Agency (ESA) was formed. Then the government proposed using the launch sites of the Guiana space center at Kourou in French Guiana. Now the main sites that are used to launch spacecraft are the property of ESA.
Since 2007, in collaboration with Russian specialists, the construction of a launch pad for Soyuz-2 rockets began on the territory of the cosmodrome, which covers an area of 20x60 km. The first launch of the Russian apparatus took place in October 2011. In 2017, Russia launched the Soyuz ST-A launch vehicle with the SES-15 spacecraft from the Guiana Cosmodrome.
The sparsely populated territory of Guiana (more than 90% of the territory is covered by forests), the absence of hurricanes and earthquakes are an important safety factor at startup.
Flag of guiana
The overseas department of Guiana belongs to the French Republic. Therefore, the flag of France is officially used as the state symbol of the country.
In some cases, use another one. This flag of French Guiana is approved by the legislature. It is a rectangular panel, where there is a five-pointed star of yellow color in areas of blue and green, located on two wavy lines.
Each color has its own specific symbolism. Blue symbolizes the emergence of modern technology in the department. Green color symbolizes the vegetation and richness of the region’s forests, and yellow symbolizes valuable minerals and a natural gold reserve. Two wavy lines are a symbol of a large number of rivers.
Interesting Facts
Now consider some facts about this overseas department:
- The territory of French Guiana has many minerals. But here only gold, tantalum and bauxite are mined.
- French Guiana is the only non-European territory that is part of the European Union.
- The main crop is rice, from which rum and rice essence are made.
- French Guiana is officially considered a department of France. But, despite this, here the Schengen visa is an invalid document. A tourist from Russia needs to get a separate one. For a visa to French Guiana, you should contact the consulate.
- When entering the territory of Guiana, you must present at the customs a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever.
Conclusion
Tourists traveling in French Guiana note that this area is amazing in its beauty and originality. And the benevolence and sincerity of the people cause a desire to return here again.