People capture images as an Ariane 5 rocket blasts off from the Kourou Space Center (Europe spaceport) carrying four Galileo satellites, on December 12, 2017, in Kourou, French Guiana.

Half of French Guiana's populace - roughly 147,000 people - lives in Cayenne, the territorial capital, with the rest scattered across the remaining 83,986.4 kilometres (52,186 miles).

In 2016, there were 55 general practitioners for every 100,000 people in French Guiana, with most concentrated in Cayenne. That compares with 104 per 100,000 in the French mainland.

Oft-overlooked French Guiana, one of France's five overseas departments, has suddenly captured international media attention. And the news from this small South American territory is not good.

French media, quoting the Justice ministry, reported that people from French Guiana and French Caribbean territories would be sent in priority to the new prison.

A man prepares to board one of the long, narrow boats, called pirogues, that ferry passengers and possessions between French Guinana and Brazil, in St. Georges, French Guiana, Nov. 19, 2015.

CAYENNE, French Guiana (AP) — Clashes between protesters and police forces have marred the first day of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to French Guiana. Macron's visit started in a ...

KOUROU, French Guiana—One of the first things that the project manager of the world’s most powerful space telescope wanted to show me was the sloth. Bill Ochs, a longtime manager at NASA, had ...