Mana 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 ...

and town in

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. ...

. It was founded on 16 August 1828 by

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

Anne-Marie Javouhey. It borders the river

Mana According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...

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

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

in French Guiana, which it exports to Suriname. 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 people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela, ...

Amerindian 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 A ...

History

The first settlement of people from Jura failed in alcoholism and disease. In 1828, the Ministry of the Navy and Colonies sent Sister Anne-Marie Javouhey 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 An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

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 damag ...

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 Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

by Pope

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius ...

. In 1978, Javouhey was founded as the second

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...

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 Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

located in the heart of the Guyana plateau forest. The

Amana Nature Reserve The Amana Nature Reserve ( French: ''Réserve naturelle nationale de l'Amana'') is a nature reserve in French Guiana, France. It has been protected, because it is one of the world's largest leatherback turtle nesting site. It is part of the commun ...

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 Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface, ...

. Mines in the commune include Coulor, and Délices.

Villages

* Acarouany *

Charvein Charvein is a village in the Mana commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in French Guiana. Charvein was the location of Camp Charvein, one of the most notorious camps of the Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni. From 1989 until 1992, Charvein was the locat ...

* Javouhey

Notable people

Chantal Berthelot Chantal Berthelot is a French politician, former member of the French National Assembly representing department of French Guiana. Biography Early life In 1993, Chantal Berthelot founded an agricultural union, the Regional Farmers Group of Guy ...

(born 1958), French politician.

References

External links

Official website
(in French)

{{authority control Communes of French Guiana