Maripasoula

Maripasoula is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America on the northern Atlantic coast. With a land area of 18,360 km2 (7,090 sq mi), Maripasoula is the largest commune of France.[1]

Maripasoula
Commune
A view of Maripasoula post office
Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Location of Maripasoula
Coordinates: 3°38′40″N 54°02′02″W
CountryFrance
Overseas region and departmentFrench Guiana
ArrondissementSaint-Laurent-du-Maroni
IntercommunalityOuest Guyanais
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Serge Anelli
Area
1
18,360 km2 (7,090 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
14,400
 • Density0.78/km2 (2.0/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.

Overview

Maripasoula City is the capital of the county. Its inhabitants are known in French as Maripasouliens and Maripasouliennes. The commune marks the border between the Maroon tribes (Aluku and Nduyka) and the Amerindian Wayana tribe. Except for residents of the capital, the commune has a largely tribal population.[2]

The town of Maripasoula was founded by European colonists as Upper Maroni at the end of the 19th century when gold was discovered.[2] Very ethnically diverse, the residents changed its name in 1953.[3][2] Because of problems with crime, the town is often referred to as "Far West", in a reference to the United States' historical Wild West.[4][5]

Sites of interest

National park

The territory of Maripasoula belongs to the Guiana Amazonian Park (French: Parc amazonien de Guyane).[6] Bellevue de l'Inini, the highest mountain in French Guiana, is located in Maripasoula.[7]

Protected buildings and historical monuments

Near the Maroni Rivers, petroglyphs have been found depicting drawings of many animals and humans.[8]

Transport

Maripasoula is served by the Maripasoula Airport.[9]

The commune can be accessed only by air, or by boat via the Maroni river.[2] In August 2020, construction is planned to begin on the road to Papaïchton.[10] There are plans to built the Route Nationale 5 from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni to Maripasoula,[11], however as of 2020, Route Nationale 5 ends south of Apatou.[12]

Climate

Maripasoula has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) and is oppressively hot 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.

Climate 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 [13]

Notable residents

Cyrille Regis (9 February 1958 - 14 Jan 2018), a former West Bromwich Albion, Coventry City, and England national football team player, was born in Maripasoula.[14]

Villages

See also

References
  1. "Villes de plus grande taille, superficie, surface - toutes-les-villes". Toutes les Villes via Archive.org (in French). 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. "Guide Maripasoula". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. "Ville de Maripasoula". Annuaire Mairie (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. "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.
  5. "Guyane: se soigner au coeur de l'Amazonie". Rose Up magazine (in French).
  6. (in French) Parc de Guyane Archived 2010-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Bellevue de L'Inni". Peak Bagger. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  8. "World Heritage Papers: Rock Art in the Caribbean". Study Lib.es. p. 244. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  9. "Maripasoula Airport". Airport Guide. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  10. "Route Maripasoula-Papaichton : coup d'envoi du chantier prévu en août". Guyane, le Première (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  11. "Route de l'intérieur : de rendez-vous manqués en promesses non tenues". Guyane, le Première (in French). 5 May 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  12. "La route d'Apatou raccommodée". Guyane la Première (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  13. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Maripasoula, French Guiana". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  14. "Cyrille Regis". National-Football-Teams.com.
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