Île Portal is an island in the

Maroni River The Maroni or Marowijne (french: link=no, Maroni, nl, Marowijne, Sranan Tongo: ''Marwina-Liba'') is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forest ...

in the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (; gcr, Senloran di Maronni) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. The island measures 27 km²

History

In 1852, Constant Bar started a plantation on the island to produce coffee, sugar and wood. The workforce consisted of African and East-Indian immigrants, and French convicts from the

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

. In 1878, the island was visited by the explorer Jules Crevaux who noted that four brothers were operating the plantation. In the early 20th century, the island was bought by Talon who started a

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

on the island. In 1964, the distillery and the buildings burnt down in a fire.

Indigenous inhabitants

About 200

Kalina Kalina may refer to: People * Kalina people, or Caribs, an indigenous people of the northern coastal areas of South America * Kalina language, or Carib, the language of the Kalina people * Kalina (given name) * Kalina (surname) * Noah Kalina, Ame ...

Amerindians The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...

used to live on the island. In the late 1970s, the island was bought by

SCI SCI may refer to: Companies *Service Corporation International, an American funeral service provider *Shipping Corporation of India *SCI Systems, merged into Sanmina Corporation, electronics manufacturing *SCi Games, a video game developer Orga ...

de Provence, a real estate company, who wanted the Amerindians off their land. In 1981, they were told to leave the island, and resettle in Espérance. In 1983, the

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

of French Guiana refused to forcibly remove the remaining population of the island. SCI de Provence has sued the State for damages. In 2011, there were still 124 people living on the island. As of 2018, there are little camps along the river. There is no school on the island, and the children have to take a

pirogue A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various small boats, particularly dugouts and native canoes. The word is French and is derived from Spanish , which comes from the Carib '. Description The term 'pirogue' does n ...

to the mainland followed by a bus to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. As of 2019, SCI de Provence is still in litigation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ile Portal Islands of French Guiana Villages in French Guiana Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni