Maripasoula

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Maripasoula
Commune
Vue sur Avenue Lalaymia Abdallah vers le College Grand man Difou en ete
A view of Maripasoula post office
Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Location of Maripasoula
Coordinates: 3°38′40″N 54°02′02″W / 3.6444°N 54.0338°W / 3.6444; -54.0338Coordinates: 3°38′40″N 54°02′02″W / 3.6444°N 54.0338°W / 3.6444; -54.0338
CountryFrance
Overseas region and departmentFrench Guiana
ArrondissementSaint-Laurent-du-Maroni
IntercommunalityOuest Guyanais
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Serge Anelli[1]
Area
1
18,360 km2 (7,090 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2018)[2]
11,994
 • Density0.65/km2 (1.7/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−03:00
INSEE/Postal code
97353 /97370
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Maripasoula is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of 18,360 km2 (7,090 sq mi), Maripasoula is the largest commune of France.[3]

Overview[]

Maripasoula City's inhabitants are known in French as Maripasouliens and Maripasouliennes. They are mainly the Maroon tribes Aluku (aka Boni), the Amerindian Wayana tribe, and the Saint Lucian and Guadeloupean Creoles. Except for residents of the city centre, the commune has a largely tribal population. The Lawa and Maroni Rivers form a natural border with Suriname on the west, and with Brazil on the south.[4]

The town of Maripasoula was officially founded as Upper Maroni at the end of the 19th century when gold was discovered.[4] The town is very ethnically diverse. In 1945, the town centre was home to 45 people, and the entire region was home to 952 people; today the population has increased from 4,507 people in 2006 to 13,227 in 2016.[5] In 1953, the residents decided to change the name to Maripasoula.[6][4]

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Maripasoula has been at the heart of a gold rush.[7][8] The majority of fortune seekers are illegal Brazilian garimpeiro.[9] Efforts by the French gendarme and military to stop the illegal gold mining[9] have resulted in illegal settlements across the Lawa River in Suriname where villages have sprung up. These villages contain a string of supermarkets, restaurants, bars and brothels,[10] and cater to both the gold prospectors and the town of Maripasoula because of significantly lower prices and convenience.[11] Because of problems with crime in the region mainly on Suriname's side of Maripasoula, the town was often referred to as "Far West" in the early 2000's, in a reference to the United States' historical Wild West.[7][12] Recently[when?], the French president Emmanuel Macron announced the development of the first Lycee de Maripasoula and €32 million for construction work between Maripasoula and Papaïchton.

Sites of interest[]

National park[]

Most of the southern territory of Maripasoula makes up most of the area dedicated to the Guiana Amazonian Park (French: Parc amazonien de Guyane). The Biodiversity of the region of the Amazonian rainforest is one of the richest in the world.[13] Bellevue de l'Inini, the highest mountain in French Guiana, is located in Maripasoula.[14]

Protected buildings and historical monuments[]

Near the Maroni River, petroglyphs have been found depicting many animals and humans.[15] Other monuments are the Roches gravées de la crique du Marouini à Maripasoula.[16]

Transport[]

Maripasoula is served by Maripasoula Airport,[17] with services on one commercial passenger airline.

The commune can be accessed only by air, or by boat via the Maroni river.[4] The unpaved path between Maripasoula and Papaïchton will be turned into a proper road. Road work has commenced on 20 July 2020 and is scheduled to be completed by 2021.[18] There are plans to extend the Route Nationale from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni to Maripasoula,[19] however the Route Nationale currently ends south of Apatou.[20] Construction of the missing section is scheduled for 2021.[18]

Climate[]

Maripasoula has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) and is warm and humid all year round. Although there is a decline in rainfall between August and November, this is much less marked than in Cayenne and Kourou.

hideClimate data for Maripasoula
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29
(85) 		31
(87) 		29
(85) 		30
(86) 		29
(85) 		29
(85) 		30
(86) 		31
(87) 		32
(89) 		32
(90) 		32
(89) 		30
(86) 		31
(87)
Average low °C (°F) 22
(71) 		22
(71) 		22
(72) 		22
(72) 		23
(73) 		22
(71) 		21
(70) 		21
(70) 		21
(70) 		22
(71) 		22
(72) 		22
(72) 		22
(71)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 240
(9.4) 		220
(8.8) 		400
(15.9) 		370
(14.4) 		430
(16.8) 		310
(12.1) 		230
(9.2) 		190
(7.3) 		110
(4.2) 		99
(3.9) 		120
(4.7) 		200
(7.8) 		2,919
(114.5)
Source: Weatherbase [21]

Notable residents[]

Villages[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Villes de plus grande taille, superficie, surface - toutes-les-villes". Toutes les Villes via Archive.org (in French). 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-02. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Guide Maripasoula". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. ^ Michele Baj Strobel (1989). "At home with a prospector in French Guiana: a sketch" (PDF). New West Indian Guide. Vol. 63. p. 224. doi:10.1163/13822373-90002031.
  6. ^ "Ville de Maripasoula". Annuaire Mairie (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pour l'or de Maripasoula". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020. Far West is in the first paragraph, which can be read without paying.
  8. ^ "Population de Maripasoula". Linternaute (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pour l'or de Maripasoula". Opex 360 (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  10. ^ "La Vie en face". Une Saison en Guyane (in French). Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Verkeerde benzine-opslag oorzaak brand Antonio do Brinco". De Ware Tijd (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Guyane: se soigner au coeur de l'Amazonie". Rose Up magazine (in French).
  13. ^ (in French) Parc de Guyane Archived 2010-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Bellevue de L'Inni". Peak Bagger. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  15. ^ "World Heritage Papers: Rock Art in the Caribbean". Study Lib.es. p. 244. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Roches gravées de la crique du Marouini à Maripasoula".
  17. ^ "Maripasoula Airport". Airport Guide. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Route Maripasoula-Papaichton : 1 million d'euros par kilomètre". France Guyane (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Route de l'intérieur : de rendez-vous manqués en promesses non tenues". Guyane, le Première (in French). 5 May 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  20. ^ "La route d'Apatou raccommodée". Guyane la Première (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  21. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Maripasoula, French Guiana". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  22. ^ "Cyrille Regis". National-Football-Teams.com.
  23. ^ "JACOBIN YOMA". Boxe Time (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.

External links[]

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