Montsinéry-Tonnegrande is a

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 ...

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

, an overseas region and department of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

located in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. Montsinéry-Tonnegrande is to the south-west of Cayenne. It contains a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, and various walking trails.

Prison of the Annamites Prison of the Annamites ( French: ''Bagne des Annamites'' or ''Camp Crique Anguille'') is a former prison in the commune of Montsinéry-Tonnegrande in French Guiana. The prison was built for Annamite prisoners who had revolted against French rul ...

, an internment camp for

Indochinese Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

prisoners, was located 38 km outside of town, and connected with a railroad. The camp was in operation between 1931 and 1944. The commune was previously known as Tonnegrande-Montsinéry, but on 27 March 1969 the name was officially changed into Montsinéry-Tonnegrande.

Geography

The city has 2 population centres spaced by 22 km: *Montsinéry * Tonnegrande It used to be isolated to the close main city of

, Cayenne, but now the RD5 road opens up the city. Montsinéry is surrounded by rivers and inundated fields. It is located at the convergence of Timouthou and Montsinéry rivers. Life is peaceful in this burg. Tonnegrande, located on the right border of the Tonnegrande River is also peaceful.

History

Montsinéry-Tonnegrande used to be occupied by settlers. They used to run the sugar cane industry and to farm a spices plantation. Amerindians are also present in the city. The 2 burgs developed with creole houses. In 1836, the population was made up of 1102 slaves and 167 free inhabitants feeding mainly on fishing. In 1878, Montsinnéry and Tonnegrande were gathered in a single municipal entity. In 1941 the Montsinnéry-Tonnegrande city was officially created. Montsinéry-Tonnegrande is also known for its prisons. Indeed, in 1848, a first penitentiary was built and then closed at the end of the 19th century. In 1931, a new prison was built, called " Bagne des Anamites", in order to receive Indochinese opponents to the French presence in Indochina. The prisoners men performed manual work and built in particular the railroad into the interior. In December 1944, the camp was closed.

Population

Transmitter site

Montsinéry is home to a shortwave transmission facility operated by the

TDF Group TDF (which stands for ''Télédiffusion de France'' officially renamed ''TDF'' in 2004) is a French company which provides radio and television transmission services, services for telecommunications operators, and other multimedia services � ...

that is designed to target listeners in the Americas and West Africa. The site is capable of

DRM DRM may refer to: Government, military and politics * Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd * Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar * Direction du renseignement milita ...

digital shortwave transmissions. An image of the rotatable curtain array antenna in Montsinéry can be found by searching Flickr for "Montsinery antenne". One of their broadcasting frequencies is the 7335 kHz slot that CHU (Canada) recently abandoned. Voice of Russia began transmitting to North America from Montsinéry — its first transmissions from the western hemisphere since the early 1990s (it previously broadcast from

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

). The transmitter site shut down in 2013 due to lack of listeners.

Activities

Montsinéry is the only place in French Guiana where you can find oysters. It is also an

eco tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

location offering water bikes on the river and horse rides.

References

External links

Official site
(in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Montsinerytonnegrande Communes of French Guiana