The Îles du Salut (Islands of Salvation), so called because the missionaries went there to escape plague on the mainland, are a group of small islands about 11 km off the coast of French Guiana in the Atlantic Ocean. Although closer to Kourou, they are part of Cayenne commune. Between 1852 and 1953 the islands were part of a notorious penal colony, for only the worst criminals of France. Nowadays the islands are a popular tourist destination.
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