Ouanary

Ouanary is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Ouanary lies on the mouth of the Oiapoque river. The settlement of Ouanary is accessible only by boat,[1] helicopter, or light aircraft at Ouanary Airport, a 750 metres (2,460 ft) dirt runway.[2]

Ouanary
An overview of Ouanary, from the farm track
Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Location of Ouanary
Coordinates: 4°12′33″N 51°40′15″W
CountryFrance
Overseas region and departmentFrench Guiana
ArrondissementCayenne
IntercommunalityEst Guyanais
Government
  Mayor (2014-2020) Éric Rozé
Area
1
1,080 km2 (420 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
182
  Density0.17/km2 (0.44/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−03:00
INSEE/Postal code
97314 /97380
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

In 1665, the area was claimed for France by Antoine de Noël de la Trompe d'Or.[3] In the 18th century, the Jesuits used the Palikur Amerindians for labor. Later they were replaced by slaves from Africa. In 1852, a penal colony was established on a former coffee plantation, and was the first agricultural penal colony.[4] The colony was finally closed in 1910, and was an economic failure with many prisoners dying or becoming ill. Between 1853 and 1864, 749 prisoners died.[4] In 1949, Ouanary became a commune.[1]

Nature

Montagne d'Argent is located in the commune.[5] In 1998, the mountain came under the protection of Conservatoire du littoral, because 22 petroglyphs had been discovered on the mountain.[6]

Economy

The economy is based on fishing and agriculture with the main crops being roucou, indigo, and sugar cane.[1]

See also

References

  1. "Guide Ouanary". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 5 Jun 2020.
  2. "Ouanary Airport". Airport Guide. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  3. Thibaudault, Pierre (1995), Echec de la Démesure en Guyane (PDF) (in French), Imprimerie Pairault S.A., ISBN 2-9509152-0-5, retrieved 5 Jun 2020
  4.  Le bagne de la mort ». Culture du café et situation sanitaire au pénitencier agricole de la Montagne d'Argent (Guyane française) de 1852 à 1910". Academia.edu (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. "MONTAGNE D'ARGENT". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 5 Jun 2020.
  6. "MONTAGNE D'ARGENT - Conservatoire du littoral". Conservatoire du littoral (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2020.


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