Nouveau Wakapou, also Nouveau Wacapou, is an

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 ...

maroon village situated on the Lawa River 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. ...

. The village is located across the Surinamese gold mining village of

Benzdorp Benzdorp is a village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. It is named after the English consul and bullion dealer H.J.W. Benz. Geography The village lies in the jungle of the Tapanahony, Tapanahony resort, near the Lawa River (South America ...

Overview

In the early 20th century gold was discovered in the region which caused an exponential growth of Nouveau Wakapou. By 1938, the population was about 1,000 people and it was largest village of the region, however the village started to decline from the 1950s onwards. Around 2022, the population was around 150 people and it was mainly inhabited by

maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna and the Mascogos. ...

. Most of the inhabitants adhere to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 2003, a school was built in Nouveau Wakapou. There are no shops in the village, and it is dependent on Maripasoula or

. The Mankassiaba Soula rapids are located near the village in the Lawa River.

Transport

Nouveau Wakapou is located about 20 minutes downstream from Maripasoula. It can also be reached by car from Maripasoula by taking the road to

Papaichton Papaichton (unofficial spelling Papaïchton with a trema) is a commune in the overseas region and department of French Guiana. The village lies on the shores of the Lawa River. Papaichton is served by the Maripasoula Airport. The village whic ...

, and taking a turn near the

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

References

Aluku settlements Maripasoula Villages in French Guiana {{FrenchGuiana-geo-stub