The Salvation Islands (French: Îles du Salut, so called because missionaries went there to escape plague on the mainland), sometimes mistakenly called the Safety Islands, are a group of small islands of volcanic origin about off the coast of French Guiana, north of Kourou, in the Atlantic Ocean. Although closer to Kourou, the islands are part of Cayenne (municipality), specifically .
Geography Islands There are three islands, from north to south:
IslandArea (ha)Height (m)Devil's Island1440Royale Island2866Saint-Joseph Island2030Total62
Devil's Island, the most famous due to Captain Alfred Dreyfus's political imprisonment there, is better known to French speakers as . Its area is . Devil's Island and Île Royale are separated by , Île Royale and Saint-Joseph Island by .
Climate The climate of Salvation Islands focuses on the characteristics of Royale Island. Royale Island () has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification). The average annual temperature in Royale Island is . The average annual rainfall is with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in October, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Royale Island was on 10 November 2008; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 10 July 1979.
History Between 1852 and 1953, the islands were part of a notorious penal colony for France's worst criminals. The penal colony stretched along the border with Suriname. Île Royale was the reception centre for the penal colony's general population; they were housed in moderate freedom because the island was so difficult to escape. Saint-Joseph Island was the Reclusion, where inmates were sent to be punished by solitary confinement in silence and darkness for escapes or offences committed in the penal colony. Devil's Island was for political prisoners. In the 19th century, the most famous such prisoner was Captain Alfred Dreyfus, held there from 1895 to 1899 after his conviction for treason.
This penal colony was controversial given its reputation for harshness and brutality. Prisoner-on-prisoner violence was common, tropical diseases killed many, and a small core of survivors returned to France and described how horrible it was, scaring other potential criminals. This system was gradually phased out and ended completely in 1953. Nowadays the islands are a popular tourist destination. They were featured in the autobiography Papillon, by Henri Charrière, who was imprisoned there for nine years. Joseph Conrad's short story An Anarchist (1906) is largely set in Salvation Islands. Joseph Conrad, "An Anarchist: A Desperate Tale," Harper's Magazine, August, 1906
As of 1979, the Salvation Islands are protected areas managed by Conservatoire du littoral.
The decree of September 4, 1891, established a disciplinary commission that judged the convicts and imposed punishments like the prison at night, the isolation cell, and the dungeon. Between 1892 and 1895, the disciplinary camp was built for difficult convicts. The buildings were organized around a courtyard where a guillotine was erected before each execution. Two washing places are at the end of the courtyard. This disciplinary camp accommodated the office and single guards housing, the black cells, the clear cells and two dormitories. Gallery
References
External links Map (archived 21 December 2006) Photos des Îles du Salut Photos de Île Royale Photos de Île Saint-Joseph