Cayenne is still a French overseas department to this day.

A further referendum on becoming an overseas department was subsequently held in 2009.

In the overseas departments, it was 105,033 at the end of 1994 and 152,892 in June 2004.

The island's status as an overseas department of France has benefited its infrastructure.

Becoming an overseas department will mean it will adopt the same legal and social system as used in the rest of France.

In 1946 the colony was made an overseas department of France, and the people became French citizens.

The system also extends to French overseas departments and territories.

Moreover, it is precisely because they were pioneers that the overseas departments cannot go any further.

From French overseas departments they first became autonomous territories and then independent states.

Instead, we should fully exercise solidarity with our overseas departments and territories.