Remire-Montjoly

Remire-Montjoly
Commune
Rémire-Montjoly beach
Coat of arms
Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Location of Remire-Montjoly
Coordinates: 4°54′18″N 52°16′36″W
Country	France
Overseas region and department	French Guiana
Arrondissement	Cayenne
Intercommunality	CA Centre Littoral
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Claude Plénet[1]
Area ^1	46.11 km^2 (17.80 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	27,274
• Density	590/km^2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−03:00
INSEE/Postal code	97309 /97354
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Remire-Montjoly (French pronunciation: [ʁemiʁ mɔ̃ʒɔli]; often unofficially spelled Rémire-Montjoly; French Guianese Creole: Rémir-Monjoli) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located on the northeast coast of South America.

Remire-Montjoly is a suburb of Cayenne, the capital préfecture and largest city of French Guiana. It is located to the south-east of Cayenne. Residential districts are located along some of the best beaches in the Cayenne area.^[3]

Cayenne and French Guiana's main seaport, the port of Dégrad des Cannes, is located in the commune of Remire-Montjoly, on the estuary of the river Mahury. Almost all of French Guiana's imports and exports pass through the port of Dégrad des Cannes.^[4]

History

The name of the town Remire, formerly Armire, is of Galibi origin. The town was founded in October 1652 by missionaires. In 1656, Dutch Jews who had fled from Pernambuco, Brazil settled in Remire and built a sugar factory. Most of them left for Suriname when the French retook the area. In 1666, the Jesuits settled in the town, and started a sugar plantation. In 1765, the possessions of the Jesuits were ceased, and Remira became a tiny village in the shadow of Cayenne once more. In 1879, Remire was elevated to a community with its own mayor.^[5] After the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, many people from Martinique settled in the town.^[3]

The commune was originally called Remire, but on 27 March 1969 the name was officially changed to Remire-Montjoly to reflect the development of Montjoly, one of the two settlements located within the commune. With urban expansion, the settlements of Remire and Montjoly have fused with Cayenne into a single urban area,^[6] however Remire-Montjoly remains a commune that is administered separately from the commune of Cayenne.^[5]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1967	2,062	—
1974	2,950	+5.25%
1982	6,773	+10.95%
1990	11,701	+7.07%
1999	15,555	+3.21%
2007	18,511	+2.20%
2012	20,689	+2.25%
2017	25,122	+3.96%
Source: INSEE[7]

Fort Diamant

Fort Diamant

Fort Diamant is a coastal battery built in 1848 to protect Cayenne and the colony.^[5] The fort was built from basalt rubble and bricks and consists of three parts in a V-shape. The walls are two metres thick.^[8] Fort Diamant was classified as a historic monument in 1980, and renovated.^[9]

Nature

Salines de Montjoly is a former saltworks and protected area in the commune. It is located in the urban area near the Atlantic Ocean, and contains a multitude of biomes like a beach used by sea turtles for nesting, and wetlands which are a refuge for birds. It also contains the only publicly accessible mangrove forest of French Guiana.^[10]

Sports

Remire-Montjoly is home to ASC Rémire football team who play at the Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama.^[11]

Notable people

• Loïc Prévot (born 1998), sprinter^[12]

See also

• Communes of French Guiana
• Dégrad des Cannes, the main harbour of French Guiana
• Résidence Arc-en-ciel, a village in the commune

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. "Remire-Montjoly, historie d'une commune" (in French). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
4. "Dégrad des Cannes". Marfret (in French). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
5. "Historique de Remire-Montjoly". Remire-Montjoly (in French). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
6. "Guide de Cayenne et ses environs". Petit Futé (in French). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
7. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
8. "Fort Diamant". Alluring world. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
9. "Fort Diamant". Alluring World. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
10. "Bienvenue sur le site du Conservatoire d'Espaces Naturels de Guyane". Conservatoire d'Espaces Naturels de Guyane (in French). Retrieved 14 April 2021.
11. "ASC Remire". Soccer Way. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
12. "Loïc Prévot est le nouveau champion de France espoir du 400 m". France TV Info (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2021.

External links

• Official site (in French)