#flatstanley #flathal #devilsisland #frenchguiana
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley Briefly Touch French Guiana
French Guiana, on the North East coast of South America, feels quite unique. Its capital is Cayenne, located near the coast.
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley learned a bit about its history with France – after centuries as a colony, including the infamous Devil’s Island prison, its people voted in 1946 to become an ‘overseas department,’ fully integrating into France rather than becoming independent. (How many former colonies have voted against independence? What benefits did they see to remaining part of France that other colonies either did not see, or did not place equal value on? The flat fellas are curious!)
It’s fascinating how places, like the Îles du Salut changing from prison to space tracking site, have such complex stories.
The “modern” equivalent would probably be a state or province voting whether or not to remain a part of their federal government… if such a vote were possible, what do you think would happen? Would you vote to form an independent country? Why? Would you want to remain a part of the country you are currently part of? Why?
Just how many types of Terns were at this play date?
