Information
City: Saint Laurent du MaroniCountry: French Guiana
Continent: South America
Saint Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana, South America
Overview
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni sits in western French Guiana, right on the banks of the wide Maroni River, which marks the border with Suriname.It’s the second-largest city in French Guiana, just after Cayenne, and it’s rich in history, culture, and commerce-you can still hear market vendors calling out prices in the busy square.Here’s a closer look at Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, starting with the first point.Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni sits at about 5.8830° N and 54.0200° W, where the air stays warm and heavy with humidity, and temperatures linger between 24°C (75°F) on cooler mornings and 31°C (88°F) under the bright afternoon sun all year long.This region swings between two seasons-a long, rain-soaked stretch from December to July, when the air smells of damp earth, and a dry spell from August to November.In 1852, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni took shape as both a military outpost and a settlement for France’s penal colony system.The town was a key hub in the colonial administration and formed part of the French network of penal colonies used to exile criminals and political prisoners.While the Îles du Salut-especially windswept Devil’s Island-are best known for holding political exiles, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni served as the administrative heart of the entire penal system in French Guiana.From the mid-1800s until 1953, the town served as a major hub of the French penal system, its docks once crowded with chained prisoners stepping off creaking wooden boats.safeThe region’s economy still bears the weight of its past, shaped in part by roads and buildings left from the old penal colony.Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, home to about 45,000 people, ranks as French Guiana’s second-largest city after Cayenne, and its streets hum with a mix of Creole, Afro-descendant, and mixed-race cultures.You’ll also find large Hmong communities, Maroon descendants of escaped slaves, and indigenous groups, some still gathering under the shade of old mango trees.Many Maroon families still arrive from nearby Suriname and Brazil, drawn by deep roots linking them to the descendants of Suriname’s freed slaves.French is the official language, but you’ll also hear the lilting tones of Creole, the rhythmic flow of Sranan Tongo in Maroon neighborhoods, Portuguese from Brazilian newcomers, and several indigenous tongues.Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni’s economy leans heavily on agriculture, with fields of bananas, papayas, citrus, fresh vegetables, and starchy cassava feeding both locals and markets.In the nearby countryside, small farms are a familiar sight, their rows of cassava bright in the sun.Thanks to its spot near the Suriname border, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni thrives as a lively hub for cross-border trade.Trucks and boats carry goods between French Guiana and Suriname-everything from fresh bread and shirts to shiny new electronics.In the heart of the city, a bustling market draws both locals and visitors from across the border, its stalls piled high with fresh fruit and handmade goods.Gold mining also fuels the economy here, with small crews working scattered claims throughout the region.Gold mining has stirred worries about damage to the local ecosystem, from muddy riverbanks to scarred hillsides.Tourism here isn’t as developed as in Cayenne or Kourou, but Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni still holds plenty of promise.Tourists flock to the town, drawn by its history-especially the old penal colony with its weathered stone walls.Just off the coast, the Îles du Salut draw plenty of visitors, with ferries running from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, where you can also step inside the quiet, sunlit halls of the Musée de la Pénitencière, a museum preserving the story of the French penal colony.safeIt served as the primary prison for convicts in French Guiana, where rusted bars clanged shut behind them.The site stands preserved as a historical monument, where guides walk visitors through the penal system, the harsh living conditions, and how the colony once ran.Îles du Salut, or the Salvation Islands, lie just offshore-not in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni itself-but you can reach them easily by boat from the town.The islands-most famously Devil’s Island-hold an important place in history as part of France’s old penal system, where wind-whipped cliffs once loomed over isolated cells.You can wander through the crumbling prison ruins, step inside its dark, narrow cells, and uncover stories of those once locked away, from common criminals to political dissidents.All year long, the town comes alive with festivals that honor its rich and varied heritage.In the months before Lent, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni bursts to life with its Carnival-one of the region’s biggest celebrations, alive with drums, swirling skirts, and colorful parades-and the town’s airport offers flights to Cayenne and other parts of French Guiana.It’s a small airport, the kind where you can smell fresh coffee from the single café, and it doesn’t handle any international flights.Most travelers arrive via Félix Eboué International Airport in Cayenne, where the air smells faintly of salt from the nearby coast.By road, the town links to Cayenne and the rest of French Guiana along Route Nationale 1, or RN1.Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni connects to Suriname by road through the Albina border crossing, a busy gateway for trade and travelers.The wide, brown sweep of the Maroni River remains vital for getting around the region.It serves both cargo and passenger ferries, linking Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni to the rest of French Guiana and across the river to Suriname, where the air smells faintly of diesel and salt.The town’s food, much like the region’s, blends flavors from its diverse mix of cultures.Local meals often feature ripe mango or papaya, hearty cassava, and rice, served alongside fresh-caught fish or tender cuts of meat.Because the town sits so close to Suriname and Brazil, its food carries flavors from both-Bouillon d’awara, a rich Creole soup simmered with fish or meat, local vegetables, and the tangy awara fruit; moqueca, the Brazilian fish stew fragrant with coconut milk and spices; and hearty Surinamese-style stews and rice dishes packed with chicken or seafood.Yet the region also faces serious threats: illegal gold mining strips the forest bare and leaves mercury in the rivers.The government’s been working hard to crack down, sending inspectors into crowded markets and shuttering stalls that break the rules.
Landmarks in saint-laurent-du-maroni
