Ouanary

Ouanary
Commune
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
Country	France
Overseas region and department	French Guiana
Arrondissement	Saint-Georges
Intercommunality	Est Guyanais
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Narcisse Rozé[1]
Area ^1	1,080 km^2 (420 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	200
• Density	0.19/km^2 (0.48/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−03:00
INSEE/Postal code	97314 /97380
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ouanary (French pronunciation: [wanaʁi]; French Guianese Creole: Wannari) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Ouanary lies at the mouth of the river Oiapoque. Ouanary is the least populated commune of French Guiana. The settlement of Ouanary is accessible only by boat,^[3] helicopter, or light aircraft at Ouanary Airport, a 750 metres (2,460 ft) dirt runway.^[4]

History

In 1665, the area was claimed for France by Antoine de Noël de la Trompe d'Or.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[6] In 1950, Ouanary became a commune.

Nature

Montagne d'Argent is located in the commune.^[7] In 1998, the mountain came under the protection of Conservatoire du littoral, because 22 petroglyphs had been discovered on the mountain.^[8]

Economy

The economy is based on fishing and agriculture with the main crops being roucou, indigo, and sugar cane.^[3]

See also

• Communes of French Guiana

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
2. "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
3. "Guide Ouanary". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 5 Jun 2020.
4. "Ouanary Airport". Airport Guide. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
5. 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
6. "« 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.
7. "MONTAGNE D'ARGENT". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 5 Jun 2020.
8. "MONTAGNE D'ARGENT - Conservatoire du littoral". Conservatoire du littoral (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2020.

External links