a
French overseas
department (administrative district) in northeast
South America on the
Atlantic Ocean.
an
area located on the northeast
coast of
South America, administratively owned by
France. First explored and settled by Spaniards around 1500, it was acquired by the
French in the
late 1600s. French Guiana became known for its penal
colony, established in the mid-1800s, which consisted of several islands and certain parts of the mainland, collectively known as
Devil's Island. The name also referred to a very small,
rocky island that originally housed the prison's lepers and was later a maximum
security area. More than 70,000 convicts, including political prisoners, habitual criminals and felons, were deported from
France to the penal
colony between 1852 and the
late 1930s. The penal
colony was noted for its dreadful
conditions, harsh punishment and the undernourishment of those assigned to
hard labor. Due to many deaths from the unhealthy climate and few escapes,
Devil's Island in French Guiana became known as a
place from which no one
returned. The
French government ceased sending prisoners to the penal
colony in 1938 and it was closed in 1946.