Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
Encyclopedia
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is a commune of French Guiana
, an overseas region and department of France
located in South America
. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the two sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
. It is the second most populous city of French Guiana.
(in Dutch: Marowijne), opposite the town of Albina
in Suriname
which can be reached by ferry or pirogue
. It does not, therefore, have an Atlantic coast; this may have affected the choice of the town's location, which can be explained by the desire of the penal authorities to avoid prisoners escaping by a sea route.
The ethnic composition of the town is, as everywhere in French Guiana, diverse: Taki-Taki-speaking Maroons
are today the largest ethnic group, followed by Creoles, Amerindians, Haiti
ans, métropolitains
and Brazil
ians.
Maroons will mostly be found in the neighbourhoods called la Charbonnière (Djukas, Samarakas and Paramaccan
s), les Vampires and les Sables Blancs. Amerindians are located in a few villages on the outskirts of town: Balaté (Arawaks), Paddock, Prospérité, Terre Rouge, Espérance, Village Pierre (Kalina
s).
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni can be accessed chiefly by road, the Route Nationale 1, from Cayenne. A new port was recently built on the Maroni, but currently lacks proper wharf infrastructure and sufficient river depth. The Saint-Maurice airfield is no longer in use by commercial flights. The Saint-Jean road links Saint-Laurent to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni and the military base there.
A new road, starting from the Plateau des Mines, is currently under construction to link St Laurent to Apatou
, further south on the Maroni. Road work is due to be completed by 2008.
Founded in 1858, it was formerly the arrival point for prisoners, who arrived at the Camp de la Transportation.
fields near town produce "La Belle Cabresse" rum
(as well as the less well-known "La Cayennaise" and "Cœur de Chauffe") for the Saint Maurice rum company. The rum is 50 to 55% proof and of high quality.
On the road to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni (about 17 km (10.6 mi) south of St-Laurent, home of the former penal Camp de la Rélégation), one can find many small shops owned by Saramaka
s selling the woodwork for which they are famous - especially chairs and tables. There is also a village of Maroon artisans on the road to Javouhey.
Two military units are stationed at St-Jean's Camp Némo: the Groupement du service militaire adapté (GSMA), which is part of the Ministry of Overseas France
and is in charge of professional job reinsertion in the west of French Guiana; and the Maroni detachment of the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment whose job it is to patrol the river border and the jungles of the west of the département.
The town is also an important port of departure for those going inland via pirogue or to Albina in Suriname by ferry or pirogue.
", which strives for the protection of local and regional fauna and flora.
It is also the point of departure for several ecotourism
circuits, most notably journeys upriver to explore the many creeks as well as the Amazonian rainforest; tourists can spend a night in the jungle in huts or tents. Another possibility is visiting the Voltaire Falls, situated 70 km (43.5 mi) upriver.
Industrial activities, slowly increasing urban density and its accompanying shantytowns as well as poaching have damaged the surrounding area, but a few years ago, a species theretofore unknown to man was discovered in town.
Some of the main buildings in the old administrative district, locally called Le Petit Paris for its alleged reminiscence of a 19th-century French architecture:
Most of these buildings are located on Avenue De Gaulle, Avenue Lieutenant-Colonel Tourtet and the Boulevard Mallouet. After the jailhouse was closed and the penal authority left in the early 50s, these buildings suffered from lack of maintenance and interest, and were much damaged due to the harsh weather conditions in western French Guiana. Close to a state of total ruin, they underwent a major restoration in the early 80s, after the city council and French Minister of Culture
realized that the old penitentiary and administrative district was of high cultural and historical interest. It soon became a major tourist attraction, with the Camp de la Transportation its star.
Other notable sights from the penitentiary years include Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, formerly the Camp de la Relégation and today's main military HQ for western French Guiana. There is also a small island in the middle of the Maroni River which used to house the prisoners affected with leprosy
. Papillon
wrote about hiding there during one of his daring escapes.
Notable sights not related to the prisons:
There are many hotels in St Laurent, including the Auberge Bois Diable, Chez Julienne, Hôtel la Tentiaire, Le Relais des 3 Lacs and Star Hôtel.
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, an overseas region and department of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
located in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the two sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
Arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
The arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is an arrondissement of France, located in the Guyane département, in the Guyane région. It has 3 cantons and 8 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni are:# Mana...
. It is the second most populous city of French Guiana.
Geography
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is a border town in north-west French Guiana. It is located on the Maroni RiverMaroni River
The Maroni or Marowijne is a river in South America. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname...
(in Dutch: Marowijne), opposite the town of Albina
Albina, Suriname
Albina is a town in eastern Suriname, and is capital of the Marowijne District. The town lies on the west bank of the Marowijne river , which forms the border with French Guiana, directly opposite the French Guianan town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, to which it is connected by a frequent ferry...
in Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
which can be reached by ferry or pirogue
Pirogue
A pirogue is a small, flat-bottomed boat of a design associated particularly with the Cajuns of the Louisiana marsh. In West Africa they were used as traditional fishing boats. These boats are not usually intended for overnight travel but are light and small enough to be easily taken onto land...
. It does not, therefore, have an Atlantic coast; this may have affected the choice of the town's location, which can be explained by the desire of the penal authorities to avoid prisoners escaping by a sea route.
The ethnic composition of the town is, as everywhere in French Guiana, diverse: Taki-Taki-speaking Maroons
Maroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
are today the largest ethnic group, followed by Creoles, Amerindians, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
ans, métropolitains
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ians.
Maroons will mostly be found in the neighbourhoods called la Charbonnière (Djukas, Samarakas and Paramaccan
Paramaccan
The Paramaccan are an ethnic group living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Marowijne District, and the eponymous term for their language, which has less than 1,000 speakers. The language is English-based with influences from Portuguese and other languages. It is similar to the...
s), les Vampires and les Sables Blancs. Amerindians are located in a few villages on the outskirts of town: Balaté (Arawaks), Paddock, Prospérité, Terre Rouge, Espérance, Village Pierre (Kalina
Kalina
Kalina may refer to:feminine given name:* Kalinapeople* Noah Kalina, American photographer* Robert Kalina, Austrian banknote designer* Václav Kalina, Czech footballerplaces* Kalina, a geographical location in Mumbai...
s).
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni can be accessed chiefly by road, the Route Nationale 1, from Cayenne. A new port was recently built on the Maroni, but currently lacks proper wharf infrastructure and sufficient river depth. The Saint-Maurice airfield is no longer in use by commercial flights. The Saint-Jean road links Saint-Laurent to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni and the military base there.
A new road, starting from the Plateau des Mines, is currently under construction to link St Laurent to Apatou
Apatou
Apatou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America.The commune of Apatou was created on 12 November 1976 by detaching its territory from the commune of Grand-Santi-Papaichton ....
, further south on the Maroni. Road work is due to be completed by 2008.
History
Economy
The sugarcaneSugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
fields near town produce "La Belle Cabresse" rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
(as well as the less well-known "La Cayennaise" and "Cœur de Chauffe") for the Saint Maurice rum company. The rum is 50 to 55% proof and of high quality.
On the road to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni (about 17 km (10.6 mi) south of St-Laurent, home of the former penal Camp de la Rélégation), one can find many small shops owned by Saramaka
Saramaka
The Saramaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname. The word "Maroon" comes from the Spanish cimarrón, itself derived from an Arawakan root; by the early 16th century it was used throughout the Americas to designate slaves who successfully escaped from slavery.-...
s selling the woodwork for which they are famous - especially chairs and tables. There is also a village of Maroon artisans on the road to Javouhey.
Two military units are stationed at St-Jean's Camp Némo: the Groupement du service militaire adapté (GSMA), which is part of the Ministry of Overseas France
Minister of Overseas France
The Minister of Overseas France is a cabinet member in the Government of France responsible for overseeing French overseas departments and territories .The position is currently held by Brice Hortefeux, who is also the Minister of the Interior...
and is in charge of professional job reinsertion in the west of French Guiana; and the Maroni detachment of the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment whose job it is to patrol the river border and the jungles of the west of the département.
The town is also an important port of departure for those going inland via pirogue or to Albina in Suriname by ferry or pirogue.
Environment
This river town has long been the headquarters of an important association for the protection of the environment: "Le pou d'agoutiAgouti
Agouti refers to a number of species of rodents as well as a number of genes affecting coat coloration in several different animals. Agouti fur contains a pattern of pigmentation in which individual hairs have several bands of light and dark pigment with black tips.* When referring to a rodent,...
", which strives for the protection of local and regional fauna and flora.
It is also the point of departure for several ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
circuits, most notably journeys upriver to explore the many creeks as well as the Amazonian rainforest; tourists can spend a night in the jungle in huts or tents. Another possibility is visiting the Voltaire Falls, situated 70 km (43.5 mi) upriver.
Industrial activities, slowly increasing urban density and its accompanying shantytowns as well as poaching have damaged the surrounding area, but a few years ago, a species theretofore unknown to man was discovered in town.
Sights
Originally built by, and for, the French department of corrections or Administration Pénitentiaire, many old official buildings in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni bear a distinctive architectural style, a unique mix of colonial style and penitentiary architecture. Bricks made from the local red clay were used by the convicts, who provided a free and never-ending workforce, to build a whole official and administrative district, starting with the main jailhouse itself, the Camp de la Transportation.Some of the main buildings in the old administrative district, locally called Le Petit Paris for its alleged reminiscence of a 19th-century French architecture:
- Le Camp de la Transportation (guided tours available, famous for Henri 'Papillon' Charrière's cell) and the adjacent Office du Tourisme;
- La Résidence du Gouverneur du bagne, today's residence of the sous-préfet, and formerly the governor's residence;
- Le Tribunal maritime, today's sous-préfecture;
- La Mairie (city hall) and the former bank;
- The church;
- Le Trésor public;
- L'Hôtel La Tentiaire;
- La caserne Joffre (the Gendarmerie HQ);
- The hospital (France's only wooden hospital still in use).
Most of these buildings are located on Avenue De Gaulle, Avenue Lieutenant-Colonel Tourtet and the Boulevard Mallouet. After the jailhouse was closed and the penal authority left in the early 50s, these buildings suffered from lack of maintenance and interest, and were much damaged due to the harsh weather conditions in western French Guiana. Close to a state of total ruin, they underwent a major restoration in the early 80s, after the city council and French Minister of Culture
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
realized that the old penitentiary and administrative district was of high cultural and historical interest. It soon became a major tourist attraction, with the Camp de la Transportation its star.
Other notable sights from the penitentiary years include Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, formerly the Camp de la Relégation and today's main military HQ for western French Guiana. There is also a small island in the middle of the Maroni River which used to house the prisoners affected with leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
. Papillon
Henri Charrière
Henri Charrière was a convicted murderer chiefly known as the author of Papillon, a hugely successful memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a penal colony in French Guiana....
wrote about hiding there during one of his daring escapes.
Notable sights not related to the prisons:
- La Charbonnière: Maroon village founded by refugees from Suriname's civil war.
- L'arche de Noé ("Noah's Ark"), a small zoo not far from town.
There are many hotels in St Laurent, including the Auberge Bois Diable, Chez Julienne, Hôtel la Tentiaire, Le Relais des 3 Lacs and Star Hôtel.