Cayenne: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The original inhabitants of French Guiana were Carib and Arawak Indians. By the mid-17th century, the Dutch, British and French had all established colonies in the region. The earliest French settlement was in Cayenne in 1643, but tropical diseases and hostile local Amerindians limited plantation development. Though territorial and commercial arrangements shifted frequently, France consolidated control of the region in 1817.

Cayenne's development has long been hindered by internal strife, a hot, wet climate, and the prevalence of disease. Sugar and rainforest timber became the colony's economic mainstays. Slaves brought from Africa worked the sugar plantations, though their success was limited by tropical diseases and the hostility of the local Indians. The plantations' output never matched that of other French Caribbean colonies, and after the abolition of slavery in 1848, the local industry virtually collapsed.

Modern History

Guiana remained a penal colony until after WWII, becoming a department of France in 1946. In that year, the territory became an administrative department of France, effectively giving it the same status as mainland French départements . In 1976, the territory's future took a step forward with the release of a Green Plan, outlining plans for development. At the same time, political parties supporting greater autonomy - such as the Parti Socialiste Guyanais (PSG) - began to attract more support.

Paris went some way to granting this autonomy in 1982. Since then, the PSG has dominated local politics. Pockets of support for outright independence began to be more conspicuous - in 1997, independence leader Jean-Victor Castor was arrested by police, leading to an outbreak of civil violence in Cayenne.

Recent History

Today Cayenne is an industrial center and base for a thriving shrimp industry, but it's also home to the Pasteur Institute, which specializes in the study of tropical diseases; Cayenne also boasts several buildings from the colonial period. The city gives its name to cayenne pepper, a very sharp condiment found on the island in abundance.

Back to top ^