This island is part of the Isle de Salut, or Salvation Islands, just north of the coast of French Guiana. This group of islands became inhabited in the 17th century when settlers from the mainland fled to these islands to see refuge from the diseases of the South American jungles. The Isles du Salut became part of France's penal colony from 1852 to 1953, where political prisoners were among those incarcerated.