Saint-Georges, French Guiana

Saint-Georges

A view across the river from the French side

Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Coordinates: 3°53′20″N 51°48′04″W / 3.8889°N 51.8012°W / 3.8889; -51.8012Coordinates: 3°53′20″N 51°48′04″W / 3.8889°N 51.8012°W / 3.8889; -51.8012
Country France
Overseas region and department French Guiana
Arrondissement Cayenne
Canton Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock
Intercommunality Est Guyanais
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Georges Elfort (DVG)
Area1 2,320 km2 (900 sq mi)
Population (2012)2 3,855
 • Density 1.7/km2 (4.3/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 97308 / 97313

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Saint-Georges (sometimes unofficially called Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. It lies on the Oyapock River (which forms the border with Brazil), opposite the Brazilian town of Oiapoque. The town contains a town hall, a French Foreign Legion detachment and some hotels (the main ones being Le Tamarin, Coz Calè and the Chez Modestine).

An asphalted road from Saint-Georges to Régina was opened in 2004, completing the road from Cayenne (the préfecture and largest city of French Guiana) to the Brazilian border and ending the isolation of Saint-Georges. It is now possible to drive on a fully paved road from Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni on the Surinamese border to Saint-Georges on the Brazilian border.

Following an international treaty between France and Brazil signed in July 2005, the Oyapock River Bridge is currently being built and is due to open late in 2013. This bridge will be the first land crossing ever opened between France and Brazil, and indeed between French Guiana and the rest of the world (there exists no other bridge crossing the Oyapock River, and no bridge crossing the Maroni River marking the border with Suriname). When the bridge is opened, it will be possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to Macapá (on the Amazon River), the capital of the state of Amapá in Brazil.

See also

References

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