Remire-Montjoly (often unofficially spelled Rémire-Montjoly) 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 departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

, an

overseas region The overseas departments and regions of France (french: départements et régions d'outre-mer, ; ''DROM'') are departments of France that are outside metropolitan France, the European part of France. They have exactly the same status as mainlan ...

and

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

located on the northeast coast of

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 southe ...

. Remire-Montjoly is a suburb of

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Oc ...

, the capital ''

préfecture In France, a prefecture (french: préfecture) may be: * the ''chef-lieu de département'', the commune in which the administration of a department is located; * the ''chef-lieu de région'', the commune in which the administration of a region is l ...

'' and largest city of French Guiana. It is located to the south-east of Cayenne. Residential districts are located along some of the best beaches in the Cayenne area. Cayenne and French Guiana's main seaport, the port of

Dégrad des Cannes Dégrad des Cannes is the main seaport for the French Overseas department of French Guiana, situated in the northern edge of South America and opening into the Caribbean. The seaport is located on the estuary of the Mahury River. Nearly all of ...

, is located in the commune of Remire-Montjoly, on the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

of the river

Mahury The Mahury is an extended estuary of French Guiana southeast of Cayenne. It reaches inland from the Atlantic Ocean, where it becomes known as the Oyak Ordu Yardımlaşma Kurumu (OYAK) (''lit. Military Mutual Aid Institution''), is a Turkish c ...

. Almost all of French Guiana's imports and exports pass through the port of Dégrad des Cannes.

History

The name of the town Remire, formerly Armire, is of

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, ...

origin. The town was founded in October 1652 by missionaires. In 1656, Dutch Jews who had fled from

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

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 ...

settled in Remire and built a sugar factory. Most of them left for

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 ...

when the French retook the area. In 1666, the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

settled in the town, and started a sugar plantation. In 1765, the possessions of the Jesuits were ceased, and Remira became a tiny village in the shadow of Cayenne once more. In 1879, Remire was elevated to a community with its own mayor. After the eruption of

Mount Pelée Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée ( ; french: Montagne Pelée, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Montann Pèlé, meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain") is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas departm ...

in 1902, many people from

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

settled in the town. The commune was originally called Remire, but on 27 March 1969 the name was officially changed to Remire-Montjoly to reflect the development of Montjoly, one of the two settlements located within the commune. With urban expansion, the settlements of Remire and Montjoly have fused with Cayenne into a single urban area, however Remire-Montjoly remains a commune that is administered separately from the commune of Cayenne.

Population

Fort Diamant

Fort Diamant is a

coastal battery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

built in 1848 to protect Cayanne and the colony. The fort was built from basalt rubble and bricks and consists of three parts in a V-shape. The walls are two metres thick. Fort Diamant was classified as a historic monument in 1980, and renovated.

Nature

Salines de Montjoly Salines de Montjoly is a former saltworks and protected area in the commune of Remire-Montjoly in French Guiana, France. It is located in the urban area on the Atlantic Ocean, and contains a multitude of biomes. The beach is used by sea turtles f ...

is a former

saltworks A saltern is an area or installation for making salt. Salterns include modern salt-making works (saltworks), as well as hypersaline waters that usually contain high concentrations of halophilic microorganisms, primarily haloarchaea but also othe ...

and

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in the commune. It is located in the urban area near 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 ...

, and contains a multitude of

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

s like a beach used by sea turtles for nesting, and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

which are a refuge for birds. It also contains the only publicly accessible

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

forest of French Guiana.

Sports

Remire-Montjoly is home to

ASC Rémire The Rémire Sports and Cultural Club ''(French: Association Sportive et Culturelle Remire)'', or simply known as ASC Rémire or Rémire is a Guianan football club based in Remire-Montjoly Remire-Montjoly (often unofficially spelled Rémire-Mo ...

football team who play at the Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama.

Notable people

Loïc Prévot Loïc Prévot (born 10 February 1998, in Remire-Montjoly) is a French sprinter. His personal best at 400 metres is 46.21 (Geneva, 15 June 2019). He anchored the French relay second in Super League at 2019 European Team Championships The 2019 ...

(born 1998), sprinter

References

External links

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