Saint-Élie is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
of
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...
, an
overseas department and region of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
. In 1930, Saint-Élie became capital of the
Inini
Inini was an inland territory of French Guiana, administered separately between 6 June 1930 and 19 March 1946, after which all of French Guiana became a department of France. The territory remained governed as a special entity, until 17 March 1 ...
territory. From 1953 onward, the commune was called Centre. In 1969, it was renamed to Saint-Élie.
History
In 1873, gold was discovered in Saint-Élie. The mines were in the middle of the
rain forest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...
with no river connection to the outside world. In 1884 construction began on a
Decauville railway line to Gare Tigre near
Saint-Nazaire in order to access the
Sinnamary River
The Sinnamary is a river in French Guiana. It is long. It rises in the center of the country, flowing north until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean near the town of Sinnamary. Its longest tributary is the Koursibo. The Petit-Saut Dam
The Petit-Sau ...
.
The railway line needed frequent repairs, and had over 100 bridges. In 1990, the railway line was abandoned when a road opened. The roads ends near Saint-Nazaire, and a 45 minute ferry to
Petit-Saut Dam
The Petit-Saut Dam is a gravity dam on the Sinnamary River about south of Sinnamary in French Guiana. The primary purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power and it supports a 116 MW power station. Construction on the dam and power sta ...
is needed to reach the outside world.
Gold is still the backbone of the economy. The gold mines are currently being exploited by
Newmont Mining Corporation
Newmont Corporation is a gold mining company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States. It is the world's largest gold mining corporation. Incorporated in 1921, it owns gold mines in Nevada, Colorado, Ontario, Quebec, Mexico, the Domin ...
. In 1989, construction started on the
Petit-Saut Dam
The Petit-Saut Dam is a gravity dam on the Sinnamary River about south of Sinnamary in French Guiana. The primary purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power and it supports a 116 MW power station. Construction on the dam and power sta ...
to produce
hydroelectric power. The dam was completed in 1994.
Nature
In 1996,
La Trinité National Nature Reserve was founded. It covers 76,903 hectares and is primary
tropical rain forest
Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
located in the heart of the Guyana plateau forest.
Villages
*
Saint-Nazaire
See also
*
Communes of French Guiana
References
External links
Official website(in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintelie
Communes of French Guiana