Apatou | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 5°09′12″N 54°20′10″W / 5.1533°N 54.336°W | |
Country | France |
Overseas region and department | French Guiana |
Arrondissement | Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni |
Intercommunality | Ouest Guyanais |
Government | |
• Mayor (2021–2026) | Moïse Edwin [1] |
Area 1 | 2,020 km2 (780 sq mi) |
Population (2021)
[2] | 9,818 |
• Density | 4.9/km2 (13/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−03:00 |
INSEE/Postal code |
97360 /97317 |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Apatou (French pronunciation: [apatu]) is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Apatou is home to Maroons of the Aluku, Paramacca, Ndyuka, and Saramaka tribes. [3]
The town of Apatou was founded in 1882 as Moutendé. [3] It was renamed after Captain Apatou of the Aluku. [4] In the late 19th century, Apatou was a guide for the explorer Jules Crevaux. On 7 September 1885, Jules Brunetti opened a Catholic mission in the village. [5] In 1891, Apatou mediated between France and the Colony of Suriname with regards to the border, and allied the Aluku with France. [4] He also united all the different tribes on the French side. [3]
Apatou was up to 1969 part of the Inini territory which allowed for an autonomous and self sufficient tribal system for the Maroons without clear borders. [6] Along with the commune, came a government structure, and francisation. Most importantly, it led to the concentration in bigger villages and the near abandonment of smaller settlements. [6]
The commune of Apatou was created on 12 November 1976 by detaching its territory from the commune of Grand-Santi-Papaichton (since then renamed Grand-Santi). [3]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1967 | 318 | — |
1974 | 453 | +5.18% |
1982 | 618 | +3.96% |
1990 | 2,451 | +18.79% |
1999 | 3,628 | +4.45% |
2007 | 6,357 | +7.26% |
2012 | 7,257 | +2.68% |
2017 | 9,241 | +4.95% |
Source: INSEE [7] |
The villages in the commune could only to be reached by boat from the Maroni River. [3] In 2010, Route Nationale opened connecting Apatou with Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, and the road network of French Guiana. The road was opened with the Tour of Guiana. [8] The road is scheduled to be extended to Maripasoula. Construction work on the section to Papaïchton is planned to begin in 2021. [9]
Apatou is home to ASC Agouado football team who play at the Stade de Moutendé. [10]
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