Îles du Salut
Îles du Salut | ||
---|---|---|
The Îles du Salut | ||
Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
Geographical location | 5 ° 17 ′ N , 52 ° 35 ′ W | |
|
||
Number of islands | 3 | |
Total land area | 0.62 km² | |
Residents | uninhabited |
The Îles du Salut (German Islands of Salvation ) are a small group of islands 13 km off the coast of Kourou in French Guiana . Although located closer to Kourou, the islands belong to the 45 km southeast situated capital community Cayenne , namely to Canton Cayenne 1 Nord-Ouest .
The three islands in the group are of volcanic origin. The islands from north to south:
island | Area ha |
Height m |
---|---|---|
Île du Diable (Devil's Island) | 14th | 40 |
Île Royale | 28 | 66 |
Île Saint-Joseph | 20th | 30th |
Îles du Salut | 62 | 66 |
Until 1951 , France maintained a prison for up to 2000 prisoners on the entire archipelago . The administration, hospital and death row were located on Île Royale . Most of the prisoners, however, were housed in solitary cells on the Île Saint-Joseph. The conditions of detention were inhuman. There were cells without a roof, so the prisoners were exposed to the tropical sun and rain without protection. One of the most prominent prisoners on the Île du Diable was Captain Alfred Dreyfus .
Today the islands are a popular destination for tourists. In addition to the ruins of the penal colony , the fauna is also worth a visit. Squirrel monkeys and macaws are used to visitors and can be hand-fed. There are also iguanas and caimans .
The archipelago became world famous through the novel Papillon and the film of the same name . The short story An Anarchist (1908) by Joseph Conrad is also largely set on the island group.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Henry Braunschweig: Island of the Damned . In: Die Zeit , No. 46/1989
- ↑ Initeraires du Patrimoine: Les îles du Salut, Guyane (PDF; 576 kB)