Roura
Commune in French Guiana, France
Roura (French pronunciation: [ʁuʁa]) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. The coastal commune is bordered by Matoury and Montsinéry-Tonnegrande in the North, Kourou and Saint-Elie in the North West and West, and finally by Régina in the South and East. It includes the town of Roura and the village of Cacao, and features vast protected natural areas like the Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve. The local economy depends on agriculture, and eco-tourism.
01History
The town of Roura was founded in 1675 by Jesuits. In 1786, Marquis de Lafayette attempted an early emancipation of the slaves by allowing small scale agriculture on the savanna Gabriel near Roury. The experiment failed, and was abandoned in 1796. Between 1809 and 1817, Roura was captured by the Portuguese and became part of Brazil. In 1848, slavery was abolished in the island.
In 1977, Cacao village was established for Hmong farmers. The population were refugees from Laos who were resettled in French Guiana. They settled here as living, and working conditions were similar to their native land.
02Geography
Roura is a commune situated in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France on the northern coast of South America. The commune's area is approximately 3,902.5 km2 (1,506.8 sq mi). It is bordered by Matoury and Montsinéry-Tonnegrande in the North, Kourou and Saint-Elie in the North West and West, and finally by Régina in the South and East. French Guiana is predominantly covered by dense, equatorial rainforest, part of the vast Guiana Shield, and the coastal strip, where the majority of the population resides, is generally low-lying and swampy. The region experiences a tropical climate with high humidity and consistent temperatures throughout the year.
In 1998, the Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve was established, which covers an area of 94,700 hectares in Roura and Régina. Kaw Mountain, standing at 276 m (906 ft) is located in the broader region of Roura Kaw-reserve. The Trésor Regional Nature Reserve is a 2,464 hectares nature reserve situated on the flank of the Kaw Mountain. It became a protected area in 2010.
03Demographics
Roura is home to diverse communities, including the Palikur Amerindian community settled in Favard village along the Oyack River and the Hmong village of Cacao, established for refugees from Laos.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 393 | , |
| 1974 | 401 | +0.29% |
| 1982 | 943 | +11.28% |
| 1990 | 1,314 | +4.23% |
| 1999 | 1,791 | +3.50% |
| 2007 | 2,823 | +5.85% |
| 2012 | 3,050 | +1.56% |
| 2017 | 3,783 | +4.40% |
| 2023 | 3,449 | −1.53% |
| Source: INSEE | ||
04Transport
The city of Roura is connected by two major roads. The Route nationale 2 leads to the towns of Régina and Saint-Georges. The RD6 road connects to Kaw. This 70 km-long (43 mi) road follows a thalweg through the forests.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Roura”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Roura.jpg by No machine-readable author provided. PoM assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Guyane route de Kaw D 6.jpg by Cayambe, CC BY-SA 3.0
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