Îles du Salut

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Îles du Salut
The Îles du Salut
The Îles du Salut
Waters Atlantic Ocean
Geographical location 5 ° 17 ′  N , 52 ° 35 ′  W Coordinates: 5 ° 17 ′  N , 52 ° 35 ′  W
Îles du Salut (French Guiana)
Îles du Salut
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

Commons : Îles du Salut  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Henry Braunschweig: Island of the Damned . In: Die Zeit , No. 46/1989
  2. Initeraires du Patrimoine: Les îles du Salut, Guyane (PDF; 576 kB)