History

Recent History

It's thought that only around 5% favor independence from France, partly due to the vast subsidies the French government supplies. The territory enjoys a relatively high standard of living thanks to the subsidies and the French social security system. The European Space Center at Kourou has brought a corner of French Guiana into the modern world and attracted a sizable expatriate work force.

Ariane 5, Europe's premier satellite launcher based in Kourou, French Guiana, is flying high having rocketed a record-breaking payload of over 8000kg into space on November 17, 2005. The first launch of Vega, a lighter lift launcher, is scheduled for 2008, while also in 2008 the first launch of Soyuz, a medium load launcher that can also transport humans into space, is planned from the space center.

Modern Day History

Guiana remained a penal colony until after WWII, becoming a department of France in 1946. In that year, the territory became an administrative department of France, effectively giving it the same status as mainland French departments. In 1976, the territory's future took a step forward with the release of a Green Plan, outlining plans for development. At the same time, political parties supporting greater autonomy - such as the Parti Socialiste Guyanais (PSG) - began to attract more support.

Paris went some way to granting this autonomy in 1982. Since then, the PSG has dominated local politics. Pockets of support for outright independence began to be more conspicuous - in 1997, independence leader Jean-Victor Castor was arrested by police, leading to an outbreak of civil violence in Cayenne.

Pre 20th Century History

The original inhabitants of French Guiana were Carib and Arawak Indians. By the mid-17th century, the Dutch, British and French had all established colonies in the region. Though territorial and commercial arrangements shifted frequently, France consolidated control of the region in 1817. Sugar and rainforest timber became the colony's economic mainstays. Slaves brought from Africa worked the sugar plantations, though their success was limited by tropical diseases and the hostility of the local Indians. The plantations' output never matched that of other French Caribbean colonies, and after the abolition of slavery in 1848, the local industry virtually collapsed.

At about the same time, it was decided that penal settlements in Guiana would reduce the cost of prisons in France and contribute to the development of the colony. Some 70,000 prisoners - including Alfred Dreyfus and Henri 'Papillon' Charrière - arrived between 1852 and 1939. Those who survived their initial sentence were forced to remain in Guiana as exiles for an equal period of time, but as 90% of them died of malaria or yellow fever, the policy did little for population growth.