Mana (; ) is a commune and town in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. It was founded on 16 August 1828 by

Sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

Anne-Marie Javouhey Anne-Marie Javouhey, SJC (November 10, 1779 – July 15, 1851) was a French nun who founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny. She is veneration, venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. She is known as the ''Li ...

. It borders the river Mana, from where it gets its name; and is nearby the river Maroni. Mana is the primary producer of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

in French Guiana, which it exports to

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

. On 31 December 1988, about 3% of the territory of Mana was detached and became the commune of Awala-Yalimapo. Awala-Yalimapo is inhabited by

Galibi The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages o ...

Amerindians.

History

The first settlement of people from Jura failed in alcoholism and disease. In 1828, the Ministry of the Navy and Colonies sent Sister

to colonize the area. Javouhey set out to build a viable community based on agriculture and invited black traders to settle, which was not the white colony as the Ministry envisioned. When 20 escaped slaves settled in the area, she bought them from their owners. In 1833, Governor visited Mana, and appreciated the efforts and progress. Jubelin arranged for orphans to be sent to Mana and the establishment of a

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...

colony in Acarouany. In 1838, the colony faced a manpower shortage. Javouhey suggested to educate and train 3,000 children of the slaves. The government refused to subsidize the plan, and Javouhey left in 1843. On 15 October 1950, Sister Anne-Marie Javouhey was beatified by Pope

Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

. In 1978,

Javouhey Javouhey is a town in northwest French Guiana in the Mana, French Guiana, Mana commune of Arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. Most of its people are Hmong people, Hmong refugees from Laos who settled in French Guian ...

was founded as the second Hmong resettlement village in French Guiana. The village is on a former agricultural colony founded by Anne-Marie Javouhey.

Population

Nature

In 1996, La Trinité National Nature Reserve was founded. It covers 76,903 hectares and is primary tropical rain forest located in the heart of the Guyana plateau forest. The Amana Nature Reserve has been established in 1998 to protect the leatherback turtle. The reserve covers 14,800 hectares.

Economy

The economy of the area is based on agriculture, and gold mining. Mines in the commune include Coulor, and Délices.

Villages

* Acarouany * Charvein *

Notable people

* Chantal Berthelot (born 1958), French politician.

References

External links

Official website
(in French)

{{authority control Communes of French Guiana