|
Apatou
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] HistoryThe 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] Population
Transport 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] SportsApatou is home to ASC Agouado football team who play at the Stade de Moutendé.[10] See also
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apatou.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
