Post on 08-Apr-2016
description
The first inhabitants
The first inhabitants of Amazonia
came from East Asia more than
6,000 years ago after passing
through the Pacific Ocean. They
are the source of the Native
American civilization. In French
Guiana, in the heart of the forest,
there are archaeological traces of
their passage: pottery, rock
carvings, polishers…
Christopher Columbus in French Guiana
After the discovery of America
on October 12th, 1492,
Chistopher Columbus began
trips to explore America.
On August 1st, 1498, Christopher
Columbus entered the Gulf of
Paria in Venezuela after
skirting the coast of French
Guiana. But it was Vincente
Yanez Pinzon who would
explore it two years later.
French Guiana, a slave territory
● Since 1656 Dutch settlers
brought with them African
slaves.
● The first French settled
in 1664. They were in
competition with the British
and the Dutch.
● In 1676, French Guiana
became a French territory and
a slave colony. A development
allowed the export of achiote,
indigo, cotton, sugar cane,
coffee, vanilla, exotic wood.
Disembarkation of African slaves
in French Guiana.
French Guiana, a slave territory
● In 1685, Colbert, Louis XIV's
Minister organized the slave
system by enacting "The Black
Code".
● In 1794, under the Republic, a
statute abolished slavery
officially. But, it will be
restored in 1802 by Napoleon
Bonaparte.
African slave
● Some black people refused to
become slaves and went
maroons . They fled into the
forest, joining the « Maroons"
of former Dutch Guiana (now
Suriname) already settled.
They are the ancestors of
Bush-Negroes living today
mainly along the banks of the
Maroni river.
Marooning in French Guiana
A maroon
● The abolition of slavery in
1848 and the departure of
slaves from plantations
collapsed French Guianese
economy.
● In 1852, Napoleon III put in
place a penal colony in French
Guiana for relégué people (sentenced people). There
were several prisons in
different places (Saint-Laurent
du Maroni, Montsinery-
Tonnégrande…).
From 1848 to 1946
Cells
The Devil’s Island
● In 1855, the first gold mining
site was found on a tributary of
the Aprouague.
● In 1946, Gaston Monnerville
definitely closed the penal
colony.
● And, in 1946, French Guiana
became an oversea department.
From 1848 to 1946
● Gaston Monnerville
Nowadays
● In 1965, the Guiana Space
Center was built in and space
activity quickly became an
important part of both the
economy and French Guianese
life.
● Since 1982, with the
decentralization laws, French
Guiana became a region. A
transfer of competences from
national to local authorities
was set up.
Ariane 5 launcher