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    Atlantic OceanFrance

    5°17′N 52°35′W

    Salvation's Islands

    Îles du Salut

    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 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) off the coast of French Guiana, 14 kilometres (7+1⁄2 nautical miles) north of Kourou, in the Atlantic Ocean.

    French Guiana, îles du Salut: Ile Saint-Joseph as seen from Ile Royale.
    French Guiana, îles du Salut: Ile Saint-Joseph as seen from Ile Royale.

    Cayambe / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Chart

    3 landforms

    Overview

    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 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) off the coast of French Guiana, 14 kilometres (7+1⁄2 nautical miles) north of Kourou, in the Atlantic Ocean. Although closer to Kourou, the islands are part of Cayenne commune (municipality), specifically Cayenne 1er Canton Nord-Ouest.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands3
    • Minor islands0
    • Islets0
    • Rocks & skerries0

    Major islands

    3
    • Royale Island

      Royale Island

      Area
      0.3 km²
      High point
      54 m

      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 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) off the coast of French Guiana, 14 kilometres (7+1⁄2 nautical miles) north of Kourou, in the Atlantic Ocean.

    • Saint-Joseph Island

      Saint-Joseph Island

      Area
      0.2 km²
      High point
      51 m

      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 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) off the coast of French Guiana, 14 kilometres (7+1⁄2 nautical miles) north of Kourou, in the Atlantic Ocean.

    • Devil's Island

      Devil's Island

      Area
      0.18 km²
      High point
      41 m

      The penal colony of Cayenne (French: Bagne de Cayenne), commonly known as Devil's Island (Île du Diable), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953, in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana.

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level20 m40 m60 m54 mRoyale51 mSaint-Joseph41 mDevil's
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.11Royale: 0.3 km²RoyaleSaint-Joseph: 0.2 km²Saint-JosephDevil's: 0.18 km²Devil's
    km², log scale
    Royale Island0.3 km²
    Saint-Joseph Island0.2 km²
    Devil's Island0.18 km²

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Wikidata
    • Talus
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs