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Devil's Island (French Île du Diable),
is an island located off the coast of French Guiana. It was a notorious
French penal colony until
1946.
Devil's Island is a small rocky islet in the Atlantic Ocean just off
the northern coast of French Guiana whose name is synonymous with a desolate, inescapable and horrific prison. First opened by Emperor Napoleon
III, Devil's Island would become one of the most famous prisons in history. In addition to the prison on the island, prison facilities were located on the mainland at Kourou. Over time, they became known collectively as "Devil's Island".
Used by France from 1852 to 1946, its residents were everything from political prisoners to the most hardened of thieves and
murderers. A great many of the more than 80,000 prisoners sent to the harsh conditions at disease-infested Devil’s Island
were never seen again. Other than by boat, the only way out was through an impenetrable
jungle; accordingly, very few convicts ever managed to escape.
The horrors of the penal settlement became notorious in 1895 with the publicity
surrounding the plight of French army captain Alfred Dreyfus who was
sent there.
Several movies, songs, a stage play, as well as a number of books feature Devil's Island. The most famous was a 1970
bestselling book by an ex-Devil's Island convict named Henri
Charrière published under the title Papillon. The book told of his numerous escape attempts and in 1973 it was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman.
Before the bestseller Papillon, Rene Belbenoit's book, titled 'Dry Guillotine' published in 1938 was instrumental in exposing
the prison colony of Devils Island.
In 1938 the French government stopped sending prisoners to Devil’s Island, and in
1946 the prison closed permanently. Most of the prisoners returned to France, although some
elected to remain in French Guiana. The island is now used by the European Space Agency as base for launching satellites.
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