French Guiana

Overview

French Guiana lies on the northeastern coast of South America, between Brazil and Suriname, with about 90 percent of its territory covered by rainforest forming part of the Amazon Basin rainforest system. France has administered the territory as an overseas department since 1946, giving it the same administrative status as a department in mainland France and making it a full member of both the European Union and the eurozone. The official language is French, though a significant portion of the population also speaks Creole languages and numerous Amazonian indigenous languages. From the 18th century to the mid-20th century, the territory also served as a French penal colony, most famously on Devil's Island, where French officer Alfred Dreyfus was also held.

Cayenne, the capital, with its colorful Creole-style colonial buildings and lively markets, serves as French Guiana's commercial and cultural center. The Salvation Islands, including Devil's Island, with their former penal colony structures, recall the grim history of French colonial imprisonment and can now be visited by boat tour. The Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, a rocket launch site operated by France and the European Space Agency, established in 1968 due to the territory's proximity to the Equator, ideal for space launches, welcomes visitors through a visitor center and guided tours. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, on the Maroni River, with its former penal colony buildings and Creole architecture, is another significant historic town in the territory.

French Guiana's rainforests rank among the most biodiverse regions in the world, home to jaguars, tapirs, and numerous primate species, though underdeveloped infrastructure means most areas are accessible only through guided expeditions. The Maroni River, which also forms the border with Suriname, can be explored by traditional canoe trips, offering insight into the lives of Maroon communities, descendants of escaped enslaved people, living along its banks. Indigenous peoples of the French Guianese Amazon, such as the Wayana, share their traditional way of life and craft techniques with visitors through certain guided tours. Local cuisine blends French, Creole, and Amazonian influences, with bouillon d'awara, a meat soup based on the awara palm fruit, as a signature dish, traditionally eaten during Easter.