Saint-Georges (sometimes unofficially called Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock) is a commune 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, ...
of
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 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 southe ...
. It lies on the
Oyapock River
The Oyapock or Oiapoque (; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the France, French Overseas departments of France, overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Amapá. ...
(which forms 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 ...
), opposite the Brazilian town of
Oiapoque
Oiapoque () is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 27,906 and its area is . Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, c ...
. The town contains a town hall, a
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
detachment, and some hotels (the main ones being Le Tamarin, Coz Calè and the Chez Modestine). Saint-Georges has been one of the three
sub-prefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefecture ...
s of French Guiana and the seat of the
Arrondissement of Saint-Georges
The arrondissement of Saint-Georges is an arrondissement of France in French Guiana department in French Guiana region. It has four communes, and was created in October 2022 from part of the arrondissement of Cayenne. Its population is 7,307 (202 ...
since October 2022.
History
Several short-lived colonies had been founded on the Oyapock River. In 1604, Charles Leigh founded
Oyapoc Oyapoc (or ''Wiapoco'') was a short-lived English settlement in French Guiana on the Oyapock
The Oyapock or Oiapoque (; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana ...
for Great-Britain. After a mutiny, the colony was abandoned in 1606. In 1620, Roger North tried again, but was forced to abandon the colony in 1629. In February 1677, John Apricius founded a Dutch colony, and constructed Fort Orange. In June 1677, they were attacked by the French, and shipped back to the Netherlands. In 1723 or 1724, Fort Saint-Louis was constructed at or near the Dutch fort. In 1734, a
mission was established at Fort Saint-Louis. In 1744, they were attacked by Great-Britain, and the settlement was abandoned.
The town was founded on 23 April 1853 as a penal colony and named after a Dutch coin of
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
which was discovered at the site. The camp was closed down in 1863. The discovery of gold in 1885 in the Camopi River revived the hamlet and the town was officially created in 1947.
The commune is one of the main settlements of the
Palikur
The Palikur are an indigenous people located in the riverine areas of the Brazilian state of Amapá and in French Guiana, particularly in the south-eastern border region, on the north bank of the Oyapock River. The Palikur Nation, or ''naoné'', ...
Amerindians. About 500 Palikur live in the commune. They live in neighbourhoods built specifically constructed for them in the main town, and the village of Trois-Palétuviers.
Geography
Climate
Saint-Georges has a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Am''). The average annual temperature in Saint-Georges is . The average annual rainfall is with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in October, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Saint-Georges was on 22 October 2015; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 November 1958.
Régina
Régina is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. With a land area of , it is the second-largest commune of France. The town is named after the first merchant who settled in the area.
Ov ...
was opened in 2004, completing the National Road 2 (RN2) from
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 '' préfecture'' and largest city of French Guiana) to the Brazilian border and ending the isolation of Saint-Georges. It is now possible to drive on a fully paved road from
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (; gcr, Senloran di Maronni) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat ...
on the
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 ...
se border to Saint-Georges on the Brazilian border.
Following an international treaty between France and Brazil signed in 15 July 2005, the Oyapock River Bridge was built, with construction completed in 2011. It was opened for use in March 2017. This bridge is the first land crossing ever opened between France and Brazil, and indeed between French Guiana and the rest of the world (there exists no other bridge crossing the Oyapock River, and no bridge crossing the
Maroni River
The Maroni or Marowijne (french: link=no, Maroni, nl, Marowijne, Sranan Tongo: ''Marwina-Liba'') is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname.
Course
The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forest ...
marking the border with Suriname). With the opening of the bridge, it is now possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to Macapá (on the
Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
), the capital of the state of
Amapá
Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...
in Brazil.
Saint-Georges is served by the
Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock Airport
Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock Airport is an airport serving Saint-Georges (also known as Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock) in French Guiana. Saint-Georges lies on the Oyapock River, which forms the border between French Guiana and Brazil.
The Saint Geo ...