festivites
Here are some of the major holidays and festivities celebrated in French Guiana, along with a brief description of their cultural significance and how they are typically celebrated:
1. Carnaval: This festive season usually takes place in February or March, just before the Christian observance of Lent. People dress up in colorful costumes, dance to music, and participate in parades throughout the region. The most famous carnival event is held in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana.
2. Easter: As a predominantly Catholic region, Easter holds significant religious importance in French Guiana. It is celebrated with church services, family gatherings, and traditional meals.
3. Labor Day: May 1st is a national holiday in French Guiana and celebrated similarly to other parts of the world. Workers take the day off and enjoy parades and street celebrations.
4. Abolition of Slavery: On May 10th, French Guiana celebrates the abolition of slavery in the region. The day is marked by ceremonies, speeches, and cultural events that reflect on the significance of this historic milestone.
5. Bastille Day: July 14th is a national holiday in France, which also extends to its overseas territories like French Guiana. People celebrate with fireworks, parades, and cultural events.
6. Toussaint: All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday celebrated on November 1st. It is a day of remembrance for loved ones who have passed away and is observed with prayers, visits to cemeteries, and family gatherings.
7. Christmas: As in many parts of the world, Christmas is celebrated with great enthusiasm in French Guiana. People decorate their homes and exchange gifts, and attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
These holidays and festivities are an important part of French Guianese culture and tradition, bringing people together to celebrate their heritage and history.
seasons
French Guiana has two main tourist seasons:
1. High season: The high season in French Guiana runs from mid-December to early April, corresponding to the dry season. This period offers excellent weather conditions for outdoor activities, including hiking and wildlife watching. It is also a popular time for cultural events such as Carnaval. However, prices tend to be higher during this period, and accommodation may need to be booked in advance.
2. Low season: The low season in French Guiana runs from late April to mid-December, corresponding to the rainy season. This period can offer good deals on accommodations and activities, but visitors should be prepared for frequent rainfall and high humidity levels. Mosquitoes can also be more prevalent during this time, so it is recommended to bring insect repellent.
Overall, the best time to visit French Guiana depends on your preferences and travel plans. If you want to avoid crowds and save money, the low season can offer a more budget-friendly option. However, if you prefer optimal weather conditions and are willing to pay a premium, the high season may be the ideal time to visit.
visa
Citizens of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein do not need a visa to enter French Guiana for tourism or business stays up to 90 days.
Other nationalities may require a visa. The cost of a short-stay visa (up to 90 days) is currently €80 (approximately $95 USD), although there may be additional fees depending on the visa type and applicant's nationality.
It is recommended to check with the nearest French embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding visa requirements and costs.
souvenirs
Some of the best souvenirs to buy from French Guiana are:
1. Handmade crafts: such as hammocks, baskets, and pottery. Prices vary depending on the size and complexity of the item, but you can expect to pay around €30-€50 for a small basket or €100-€200 for a large hammock. You can find these items in local markets like Marché de Cayenne or Marché de Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
2. Local spices: such as cinnamon, vanilla, and hot peppers. Prices range from €5-€10 per package. You can find these items in supermarkets or local spice shops.
3. Rum: French Guiana is known for its rum production, with brands such as La Belle Cabresse and Montsinery-Tonnegrande. Prices vary depending on the brand and quality, but you can expect to pay around €15-€30 per bottle. You can find these items in supermarkets or liquor stores.
4. Wood carvings: such as masks and sculptures made from local wood. Prices vary depending on the size and complexity of the item, but you can expect to pay around €50-€100 for a small mask or €300-€500 for a large sculpture. You can find these items in local markets or specialized wood carving shops.
5. T-shirts and clothing: featuring local designs or logos. Prices vary depending on the quality and design, but you can expect to pay around €20-€30 for a T-shirt or €50-€100 for a hoodie. You can find these items in souvenir shops or clothing stores.
Note: Prices mentioned here are approximate and subject to change based on various factors such as market demand, location, and availability.
If you have 1 week
French Guiana is a unique and beautiful place with many attractions to explore. Here is a one-week itinerary that will allow you to experience some of the best this country has to offer:
Day 1: Start your trip by exploring the capital city of Cayenne. Visit the historic Fort Cépérou for panoramic views of the city or take a stroll through the Place des Palmistes, a charming park in the heart of the city.
Day 2: Head to the beautiful Îles du Salut islands, just ten kilometers off the coast of Kourou. These three islands, known as Devil's Island, Royale Island, and St. Joseph Island, are steeped in history and provide breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Day 3: Visit the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, which is one of the most important space launch sites in the world. You can take a guided tour of the facilities and learn about the history of space exploration.
Day 4: Head to the Kaw Nature Reserve, where you can take a guided boat tour of the Kaw estuary and see a wide variety of wildlife, including monkeys, birds, and even dolphins.
Day 5: Explore the stunning rainforests of French Guiana's interior on a guided hike. The jungle is home to an incredible array of flora and fauna, including exotic birds, caimans and jaguars.
Day 6: Take a relaxing day trip to the beaches on the northern coast of French Guiana, such as Montjoly or Rémire-Montjoly. These beautiful stretches of sand and crystal-clear water will be sure to recharge your batteries.
Day 7: Finish your week in French Guiana by delving into its rich cultural heritage. Visit the Musée Départemental De Franconie, which showcases local art and artifacts, or attend a performance at the Tropiques-Atrium Cultural Centre.
Overall, this week-long itinerary will give you a taste of what French Guiana has to offer. From exploring historic sites and experiencing the natural beauty of the landscape to learning about space exploration and immersing yourself in local culture, there's something for everyone in this captivating country.
If you have 2 weeks
Let's start with the capital city, Cayenne. It is an intriguing mix of French and Caribbean cultures with beautiful colonial architecture, vibrant markets, and delicious food. You can visit the Place des Palmistes, which is a large park in the city center with towering palm trees, and also explore the historic Fort Cépérou, which dates back to the 17th century. Additionally, you can taste some local delicacies such as accras (deep-fried cod fritters), bouillon d'awara (a traditional stew made with palm fruit), and tourment d'amour (a dessert made with coconut and guava).
Next, head out to the Îles du Salut, which are three small islands off the coast of French Guiana. One of these islands, Devil's Island, was once a French penal colony where political prisoners were sent. Today, the islands offer beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters, and a chance to learn about the history of the area.
Another great stop on your itinerary would be the Kaw Mountain. It is a beautiful natural site that offers breathtaking views of the surrounding forest and rivers. You can go for a hike in the lush jungle and discover the many waterfalls, streams, and wildlife species that call it home. The area is also known for its diverse bird population, so make sure to bring your binoculars!
Finally, make sure to visit the Guiana Space Centre. It is one of the most important spaceports in the world and has launched many important missions, including the Ariane rocket program. Here, you can see actual rockets, satellites, and other space equipment up close and learn about the history and future of space exploration.
Overall, this itinerary will offer a mix of culture, history, nature, and adventure that will give you a taste of what French Guiana has to offer. Enjoy your trip!
Culture
The local architecture is characterized by its Creole, Amerindian and Bushinenge influences. The main towns contain predominantly Creole-style architecture, with some Western-style buildings and forts. In the communes with the black maroon populations one can see houses of bushinengue styles. And the Amerindian communes are recognized for their pre-colonial type carbets. Most of these buildings were designed with local materials, such as wood from the Amazonian forests and bricks made on site. These local architectures blend with contemporary style buildings.
The Carnival is one of the major events in French Guiana. Considered the longest in the world, it takes place on afternoon of Sunday, between Epiphany at the beginning of January and Ash Wednesday in February or (month). Groups disguised according to the theme of the year parade around decorated floats to the rhythm of percussion and brass. The preparation of the groups starts months before the carnival. The groups parade in front of thousands of spectators who gather on the sidewalks and bleachers arranged for the occasion.
Brazilian groups identical to those in the Rio carnival are also appreciated for their rhythms and their alluring costumes. The Chinese community of Cayenne also participates in the parades, bringing its characteristic touch, dragons.
At the start of the evening, the Touloulous, typical characters of the Guianan carnival, go to the dancings to participate in the famous paré-masked balls.
Guianan cuisine is rich in the different cultures that mix in French Guiana. Creole restaurants rub shoulders with Chinese restaurants in large cities such as Cayenne, Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. The local culinary art originally brought together Guianan Creole, Bushinengue and Native American cuisines.
All of these cuisines have several ingredients in common:
* Manioc;
* Smoked meats and fish
This southern Caribbean territory has many typical dishes, such as Awara broth, Creole galette, Dizé milé, Countess, Cramanioc pudding, Kalawanng, Couac gratin and salad, Fricasse of iguana or its famous Pimentade (fish or chicken court-bouillon).
Atipas are local fishes beloved by the French Guianese often prepared with coconut milk.
At Easter, Guianan people eat a traditional dish called Awara broth.
For weddings, locals traditionally eat Colombo, which is a type of curry that has become a staple of the French Guianese cuisine.
French Guiana literature includes all works written by local authors or persons related to French Guiana. It is expressed both in French and in Guianan Creole.
Local literature is a literature closely related to that of the French West Indies: especially the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. For some, it is an Antillean-Guyanese literature in relation to the themes addressed, which are mainly related to slavery and other social problems. Thus, this literature takes several forms. First, orality, because it is a characteristic element of Guianan literature, as in many countries of Black America. In this connection, we can consider tales, Legends, fables and, in another form, Novels.
Nineteenth century French Guiana is marked by a weak presence of writers. At that time, writers only published a few scattered poems in local newspapers. Today, however, it is difficult to trace the writings of some French Guianan poets: Ho-A-Sim-Elosem, Munian, R. Octaville, etc. Two Guianan poets are the exception. According to Ndagano (1996), Ismaÿl Urbain and Fabien Flavien would be considered the first French Guianan poets. However, Alfred Parépou is a writer who marked his era with his work Atipa (1885).
The period from 1900 to 1950 constitutes an important stage in local literature insofar as it gave birth to numerous writers who had a considerable impact, such as those of Negritude (Négritude). The Guianan of the 1950s and 1960s is notable for writing about the black cause. Serge Patient and Elie Stephenson did address this issue in their writings.
Since 1970 different generations of writers have become aware of the black cause or slavery. Whether through their writings or their political activities, they take into account this painful period that had serious consequences on the local society and on the black world in general. For this generation, Christiane Taubira remains the figurehead. Other writers are interested in other types of themes, such as regional nature, etc.
Religion
The dominant religion of French Guiana is Roman Catholicism; the Maroons and some Amerindian peoples maintain their own religions. The Hmong people are also largely Catholic owing to the influence of missionaries who helped bring them to French Guiana. Guianan Catholics are part of the Diocese of Cayenne.
Demographics
French Guiana experienced a long period of demographic stagnation during the days of the Cayenne and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni penal colonies (19th century and first half of the 20th century), when, with the exception of a brief gold rush in the 1900s and 1910s, it suffered from a bad reputation due to its association with penal colonies and bad sanitary conditions (yellow fever and malaria in particular).
Population started to grow tremendously from the 1950s onwards with the improvement of sanitary conditions (yellow fever and malaria eradication campaigns started in 1949) and the establishment of the Guiana Space Centre in 1964. Population growth has been fueled both by high birth rates and large arrivals of immigrants (from metropolitan France, to man the public administrations and the space center, as well as from neighboring countries, in particular Suriname and Brazil). Arrivals of Surinamese refugees reached record levels in the 1980s during the Surinamese Interior War, resulting in the highest population growth rate in French Guiana's history, recorded between the 1982 and 1990 censuses (+5.8% per year).
In the 21st century, the birth rate has remained high, and new arrivals of migrants seeking asylum (in particular from Haiti) have kept population growth above 2% per year in the 2010s. French Guiana's population reached 301,099 in 2023 (Jan. estimate), more than 10 times the population it had in 1954.
There exist three metropolitan areas (as defined by INSEE) in French Guiana. These are Cayenne, which covers 6 communes (Cayenne, Remire-Montjoly, Matoury, Macouria, Montsinéry-Tonnegrande, and Roura), Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, made up of the namesake commune, and Kourou, made up of the namesake commune.
The population of these three metropolitan areas at the 2020 census was the following:
Beyond these three metropolitan areas, the most populated communes (municipalities), which are not populated enough to form a metropolitan area, were the following at the 2020 census:
French Guiana's population, most of whom live along the coast, is substantially ethnically diverse. At the 2019 census, 56.5% of the inhabitants of French Guiana were born in French Guiana, 8.9% were born in Metropolitan France, 2.8% were born in the French Caribbean departments and collectivities (Guadeloupe and Martinique etc.), and 31.5% were born in foreign countries (primarily Suriname, Brazil, and Haiti).
Estimates of the percentages of French Guiana ethnic composition are difficult to produce due to the presence of a large proportion of immigrants. People of African descent are the largest ethnic group, though estimates vary as to the exact percentage, depending upon whether the large Haitian community is included as well. Generally, the Creole population is judged to be about 60–70% of the total population if Haitians (comprising roughly one-third of Creoles) are included, and 30–50% otherwise. There are also smaller groups from various Caribbean islands, mainly Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Saint Lucia.
Approximately 41,000 people or 14% of the population is of European ancestry. The vast majority of these are of French ancestry, though there are also people of Spanish and Portuguese ancestry.
The main Asian communities are the Chinese (about 3–4%, primarily from Zhejiang and Guangdong in mainland China) and Hmong from Laos (1–2%). Other groups from Asia include Indians, Lebanese and Vietnamese.
The main groups living in the interior are the Maroons who are of African descent, and Amerindians. The Maroons, descendants of escaped African slaves, live primarily along the Maroni River. The main Maroon groups are the Saramaca, Aucan (both of whom also live in Suriname), and Boni (Aluku).
The main Amerindian groups (forming about 3–4% of the population) are the Arawak, Carib, Emerillon (now called the Teko), Galibi (now called the Kaliña), Palikur, Wayampi and Wayana. As of the late 1990s, there was evidence of an uncontacted group of Wayampi.
In recent years, French Guiana has seen an increase in Syrian refugees trying to escape the Syrian Civil War. For them and other groups of migrants, the majority arriving from Latin American and Middle Eastern countries (especially Cuba, Yemen, and Palestine), its status as French territory makes it a "gateway" to Europe. Many live in crowded refugee camps with poor conditions and little protection from the elements. Neither local authorities nor the French government have made significant efforts to help the situation.
The dominant religion of French Guiana is Roman Catholicism; the Maroons and some Amerindian peoples maintain their own religions. The Hmong people are also largely Catholic owing to the influence of missionaries who helped bring them to French Guiana. Guianan Catholics are part of the Diocese of Cayenne.
The total fertility rate in French Guiana has remained high and is today considerably higher than that of metropolitan France, as well as most of the other French overseas departments. It is largely responsible for the rapid population growth of French Guiana.
Cities:
