The Malani (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: Marowijnekreek; or ''Marouini'') is a river in the disputed area between

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 ...

and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. According to Suriname, it is the border river, however France considers the Litani the border. The river has its source at in the

Tumuk Humak Mountains The Tumuk Humak Mountains ( nl, Toemoek-Hoemakgebergte, pt, Serra do Tumucumaque, french: Monts Tumuc Humac) are a mountain range in South America, stretching about east–west in the border area between Brazil in the south and Suriname and F ...

. It has its mouth at the confluence with the Litany at

Antecume Pata Antecume Pata is a village in French Guiana, France. It was founded by André Cognat, a Pierre-Bénite-born Wayana tribal chief. It is home to a nursery and primary state school. Even though French is taught at the school, Sranan Tongo Sranan T ...

and continues its journey as the Lawa River. The Malani has a length of .

Name

The river is known in Suriname and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

as the Marowijnekreek. It used to called Marouini in France, however the

Wayana The Wayana (alternate names: Ajana, Uaiana, Alucuyana, Guaque, Ojana, Oyana, Orcocoyana, Pirixi, Urukuena, Waiano etc.) are a Carib-speaking people located in the southeastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Surina ...

name of Malani is becoming the accepted version. The names Marouini and Marowijnekreek were also used in the past for the Lawa River.

Course

The Malani has its source at Pic Coudreau, a high

inselberg An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...

in the

near the border with

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The river first heads south and makes a 180 degree turn around Pic Coudreau and continues its journey northwards through the tropical rainforest. The largest tributary is the which measures . After a meandering journey of , there is a confluence with the Litani, and both rivers continue as the Lawa River. The Lawa in turn flows into the Maroni which has its mouth at the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Former settlements

In 1791, the

Aluku The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Bokilifu Boni. History The Aluku are an ethnic gro ...

Maroons Maroons are descendants of African diaspora in the Americas, Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples, eventually ethnogenesi ...

were chased out of Suriname and moved into French Guiana. The tribe continued their journey to the Malani. They were not completely safe there either, because Boni, the leader of the tribe, was killed on the river on 19 February 1793. The Aluku eventually returned to Gaan Day along the Lawa River, and had abandoned the Malani around 1839. From the 1880s onwards, the indigenous

moved from the

Paru River The Paru River is a northern tributary of the lower Amazon in Pará state in north-central Brazil. The river flows through the Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests ecoregion. Part of the river's basin is in the Maicuru Biological Reserve. In popular c ...

in Brasil northwards along the Malani and Litani. Several villages were founded which were visited by

Henri Coudreau Henri Anatole Coudreau (6 May 1859 Sonnac – 10 November 1899, State of Pará, Brazil) was a French professor of history and geography, explorer and geographer of French Guiana and the tributaries of the Amazon. Exploration of the Amazon At ...

in 1893. With the exception of Saint-Laurent which is located at the mouth, the river is nowadays uninhabited.

References

{{Reflist Rivers of French Guiana Rivers of Suriname Sipaliwini District Maripasoula

Name

Course

Former settlements

See also

References