The region of Guyana : A natural wonderland of France
January 10, 2008
Guyana is an official “region” and an overseas district of France whose chief town is Cayenne. It is located at the North-East of the South American continent, more than 7000 km (4349 miles) from mainland France. With its surface area of 84000 km2 (approx. 51,200 miles), it holds the distinction of the largest “department”of France. It is also set apart by being the the most wooded area in France with 94% of its territory covered by Amazonian forest. Yet another distinction: unlike other regions of France known as the Dom/TOM, Guyana is not an island.
Bordered on more than 300 km (186 miles) of its Northern coast by the Atlantic Ocean, Guyana shares a border of 520 km with Suriname in the west, and with Brazil in the south and east that spans 580 km. The Maroni and Oyapock rivers and the Tumuc-Humac Mountains constitute true natural borders with these countries.
Once a colony, Guyana has known an animated history. Discovered in 1498 per Christopher Columbus, it was colonized by France a few years later. In the 17th century, it saw a succession of Spanish, English, Dutch and French explorers in the search of gold and new Eldorado. Finally in the 19th century, it became a place of deportation for prisoners condemned to forced labor, and became sadly famous for its prison camp of Cayenne. The prison authorities accommodated more than 80 000 convicts, including Dreyfus, Papillon and Seznec. This unfortunate blemish on the Guyana’s reputation still persists today, despite the abolition of the prison camp, which took place after WWII. It is still possible to pay a grim visit to the vestiges of the buildings in Saint-Laurence du Maroni or to the dungeons of the Isles du Salut.
Successive waves of immigration due to colonization, slavery and travel are at the root of a rich human mosaic and an intermixing of the population. The territory presents a wide range of ethnic groups made up of Creoles, mainlanders, Blacks, Amerindians, Chinese and many other foreigners. The vast majority of the Guyanese population lives near the coast, thus forming the most important cities like Cayenne, Rémire-Montjoly, Kourou, Sinnamary and St-Laurent-du-Maroni.
This is explained by the impassability of the inland territory, covered by a dense equatorial forest — essentially a primordial forest; that is, unexplored and unexploited by man. This area can be crossed only by inland waterway or by air.
This forest shelters unique ecosystems among the richest and most fragile in the world, such as mangroves, savannas and inselbergs, jutting mountains that are like land-bound icebergs. The presence of this immense forest plus the hot and wet equatorial climate has engendered the development of great plant and animal biodiversity, and makes Guyana a unique, unspoiled and spectacular nature destination. More than 5, 500 vegetable species have been recorded here, including more than 1,000 types of trees, as well as 700 species of birds, 177 species of mammals, 430 fish species and 109 species of amphibians. Micro-organisms are still more numerous, especially in the north.
A national park and six natural reserves were created to preserve this variety of habitats and unique species. Also, the exceptional beaches of the Amana natural reserve are one of the largest and most important preserves for marine tortoises in the world.
With such natural riches to offer, tourism in Guyana has developed primarily around adventure tourism of and “eco-tourism.”. The many rivers and waterways that burrow through the forest make for attractive walks and excursions, and footpaths have been arranged with this in mind. The hiking trails, varying in their levels of difficulty, are well marked out and often decorated with explanatory panels on the local flora and fauna.
Here, nature-lovers get front-row seats for the show, especially at night, to observe the caimans of the marshes of kaw or the laying of the tortoise eggs on the beaches of Hattes.
A majestic throne of nature and a melting pot of cultures, Guyana beguiles with its ages-old legends and the secrets hidden in its still-virgin forest. It is one of the most impressive wonders France calls its own.
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.