French Guiana is the only non-independent country on the South American mainland. As an overseas department of France, it is governed by French law and the French constitution, and enjoys French customs, currency and holidays.
Bastille Day, celebrated annually on July 14, is a major holiday in French Guiana as it is in France and other French territories. The holiday celebrates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison in Paris. Mobs of people took over the prison and literally dismantled it, a foreshadowing of what would happen to the French aristocracy in the coming revolution. Heralding the beginning of the French Revolution, the tearing down of the Bastille became a symbol of the building of a new France, one where power no longer resided in God, the King, or the aristocracy, but in the people themselves.
The French Revolution didn't do away with the need for prisons, however. In the mid-1900's, when the cost of maintaining prisons in France became very expensive, the French government created a prison in French Guiana. First settled by the French in 1604, reports of the climate and terrain sent back to France convinced prison authorities that the mainland and islands off the coast would provide suitably horrendous conditions. They sent the most undesirable, hardened criminals there. Despite the beauty of the surroundings, this prison (see Pictures of Devil's Island) gained notoriety for cruelty and inhumane treatment, as the famous movie Papillon demonstrated, and was closed in the early 1950's. The island now is a resort, offering rest and relaxation where prisoners once toiled.
The climate of French Guiana can be summed up in one word: wet. The tropical location makes for humidity, with temperatures varying little from the 80's F. Rainfall averages about 100 inches a year, heaviest from January to June, with May the wettest month.
It is a little less humid along the coastal plains, in Cayenne, the capital, and at Kourou, near the site of the European Space Agency, Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), where France launches its commercial satellite launch program.
The climate may be different than France, but the celebrating is much the same: civic events, the Marsellaise, lots of food and wine.
To celebrate BAstille Day in French Guiana, check flights from your area to Cayenne. You can also browse for hotels and car rentals.
Consult the resources in Plan Your Trip to French Guiana for places to stay and dine, tours and other helpful information.
Vive la France!