Roura is a commune 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 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 mainla ...

and department 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 sou ...

. The city of Roura is bordered by Matoury and

Montsinéry-Tonnegrande Montsinéry-Tonnegrande is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Montsinéry-Tonnegrande is to the south-west of Cayenne. It contains a botanical garden, and various walking trails. ...

in the North, Kourou and Saint-Elie in the North West and West, and finally by Régina in the South and East.

History

The town of Roura was founded in 1675 by

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s. In 1786,

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

attempted an early emancipation of the slaves by allowing small scale agriculture on the savanna ''Gabriel'' near Roury. The experiment failed, and was abandoned in 1796. Between 1809 and 1817, Roura was captured by the Portuguese and part of

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 ...

. In 1848, slavery was abolished. Cacao is a village of Hmong farmers. The population were refugees from

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...

who were resettled in French Guiana in 1977 The reasoning was that living, and working conditions were similar to their native land.

Population

Roads

The city of Roura is home to 2 main roads. * The RD6 road leads to the landing stage of Kaw. This road follows a thalweg through the primal forest. * The RN2 road leads to towns of Régina and Saint-Georges.

Nature

In 1998, the

Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve The Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve ( French: ''Réserve naturelle nationale des marais de Kaw-Roura'') is a nature reserve in French Guiana, France. The reserve is a wetland, and can only be accessed by boat from Kaw. Overview The Kaw-Rour ...

was established, and covers an area of 94,700 hectares between Roura and Régina, and is sometimes nicknamed "the Everglades of Guyana". The

Trésor Regional Nature Reserve The Trésor Regional Nature Reserve ( French: ''Réserve naturelle régionale Trésor'') is a regional nature reserve in French Guiana, France. The reserve is adjacent to the national Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve on the flank of the Kaw Mo ...

is a 2,464 hectares

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

situated on the flank of the

Kaw Mountain The Kaw Mountain is a 337 metres high mountain in the commune of Roura in French Guiana, France. It is a narrow tepui with a laterite top. Overview Kaw Mountain is covered in rainforest and is part of the northern range of the Guiana Shield. Th ...

. It became a

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 2010.

Villages

Bélizon Bélizon is a village in French Guiana. In 1952, a 150 kilometer track was constructed between Saül via Bélizon to the road leading to Cayenne Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and depart ...

* Cacao

History

Population

Roads

Nature

Villages

See also