Macouria (; ) is a
commune of
French Guiana
French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
located midway between
Cayenne and
Kourou, an
overseas region
The overseas departments and regions of France (, ; DROM) are the five departments and regions of the French Republic which are located outside European France (also known as " metropolitan France"). These overseas entities have exactly the s ...
and
department of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
located in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
. The seat of the commune is the settlement of Tonate, and so the commune is also known unofficially as Macouria-Tonate.
The
French Guiana Zoo is located in the commune.
Geography
Macouria is one of the smallest cities of
French Guiana
French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
.
The town is separated in the east with
Matoury
Matoury (; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.
Matoury is a southern suburb of Cayenne, the '' préfecture'' and largest city of French Guiana. Cayenne – Félix Eboué Air ...
, by the Larivot Bridge, crossing the
Cayenne River. Its southern limit is marked by the Montsinéry River, which separates it with the eponymous city. Westward there is
Kourou and in the north the town is the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Urbanization
The population is mainly located south and along the national road
RN1 because of 2 km wide
mangrove swamp situated in the North.
* From the Larivot bridge to the town centre, on approximately 28 km, there are many villages.
* From the town center to Kourou, there are few inhabitants except in the farming areas of "La Césarée" and "Matiti".
The main inhabited zones are:
* Maillard : a neighborhood which will host 600 houses on the long run organized around the blue lake, which is a former quarry.
* Soula : located in the East of the town not far away from
Cayenne.
* Matiti: situated 10 km after the town centre, it is based on land given back by the
Guiana Space Centre
The Guiana Space Centre (; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approxim ...
.
History
The area was first described in 1604 by Daniel de La Touche de La Ravardière. He counted many
Amerindian
In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...
settlements.
Around 1716, the commune was settled with plantations. Tonat build the first house and
cotton mill.
In the middle of the 19th century, Macouria was part of the canton of
Cayenne.
1488 slaves stood for 93% of the population of the "neighborhood" led by Jean-Baptiste Tonat. They worked in a plantation called "La Béarnaise". On it, there were :
* 25 ha of sugar cane
* 8 ha of cofe
* 60 ha of roucou
*1100 ha of cotton
In tribute to the leader of the neighbourhood Tonat, the zone was called "Tonate Bourg" and given to the state.
In 1848, year of the abolition of slavery some free Africans and 55 Indian migrants arrived in the city.
From 1864 to 1970 the population decreased, mainly because of the lack of activity on it.
Population
Sights
The
French Guiana Zoo is located in Macouria on the road to
Montsinéry.
See also
*
Communes of French Guiana
*
Farnous
References
External links
Official site(in French)
{{authority control
Communes of French Guiana