Roura

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Commune in French Guiana, France

title: "Roura" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["communes-of-french-guiana", "roura"] description: "Commune in French Guiana, France" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roura" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Commune in French Guiana, France ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox French commune"]

Field	Value
name	Roura
commune status	Commune
image	Roura.jpg
caption	Roura as seen from the Oyak River
image coat of arms	Blason ville fr Roura (Guyanne).svg
map size	220px
adjustable map	Locator map of Roura 2022.png
map caption	Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
coordinates
arrondissement	Cayenne
INSEE	97310
postal code	97311
mayor	Jean-Claude Labrador
term	2020–2026
intercommunality	CA Centre Littoral
elevation m	231
elevation min m	0
elevation max m	337
area km2	3902.5
population
population date
::

Roura () is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. The coastal commune is bordered by Matoury and Montsinéry-Tonnegrande in the North, Kourou and Saint-Elie in the North West and West, and finally by Régina in the South and East. It includes the town of Roura and the village of Cacao, and features vast protected natural areas like the Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve. The local economy depends on agriculture, and eco-tourism.

History

The town of Roura was founded in 1675 by Jesuits. In 1786, Marquis de Lafayette attempted an early emancipation of the slaves by allowing small scale agriculture on the savanna Gabriel near Roury. The experiment failed, and was abandoned in 1796. Between 1809 and 1817, Roura was captured by the Portuguese and became part of Brazil. In 1848, slavery was abolished in the island.

In 1977, Cacao village was established for Hmong farmers. The population were refugees from Laos who were resettled in French Guiana. They settled here as living, and working conditions were similar to their native land.

Geography

Roura is a commune situated in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France on the northern coast of South America. The commune's area is approximately 3,902.5 km2. It is bordered by Matoury and Montsinéry-Tonnegrande in the North, Kourou and Saint-Elie in the North West and West, and finally by Régina in the South and East. French Guiana is predominantly covered by dense, equatorial rainforest, part of the vast Guiana Shield, and the coastal strip, where the majority of the population resides, is generally low-lying and swampy. The region experiences a tropical climate with high humidity and consistent temperatures throughout the year. Kaw Mountain, standing at 337 m is located in the broader region of Roura.

In 1998, the Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve was established, which covers an area of 94,700 hectares in Roura and Régina. The Trésor Regional Nature Reserve is a 2,464 hectares nature reserve situated on the flank of the Kaw Mountain. It became a protected area in 2010.

Demographics

As of , Roura had a population of individuals. The commune is home to diverse communities, including the Palikur Amerindian community settled in Favard village along the Oyack River and the Hmong village of Cacao, established for refugees from Laos. |source = INSEE |percentages = pagr |align = none |1967 |393 |1974 |401 |1982 |943 |1990 |1314 |1999 |1791 |2007 |2823 |2012 |3050 |2017 |3783 |2022 |3382

Transport

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Guyane_route_de_Kaw_D_6.jpg" caption="Road to Kaw"] ::

The city of Roura is connected by two major roads. The Route nationale 2 leads to the towns of Régina and Saint-Georges. The RD6 road connects to Kaw. This 70 km road follows a thalweg through the forests.

References

(13 September 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
"Vestiges archéologiques".
"Histoire de la commune". Roura.gf.
"L'abolition de l'esclavage en Guyane française (1848)". Persée.
"Cacao: an authentic Hmong village".
"Bourg de Cacao". Roura.gf.
"Des Hmongs en Guyane". National Association of Elders and Friends of Indochina.
"Communes de Guyane". data.gouv.fr.
"City of Roura".
"French Guiana". Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM).
"French Guiana". Eurostat.
(15 March 2023). "Kaw-Roura : Les marais de Kaw-Roura, un patrimoine à protéger". Office National des Forêts (ONF).
"Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve". Petit Futé.
"Guide Kaw".
"Présentation".
"FR9300073 - Trésor". Inventaire National du Patrimoine Nature.
"Populations légales 2022 − Commune de Roura (97306)". Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (INSEE).
"French Guiana: spring water… finally drinkable !". Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
"Le village palikur de Favard". Journal de la Société des Américanistes.
"Population en historique depuis". INSEE.
(May 2020). "Prudence, nouveau glissement de terrain sur la RN2 à 40 kilomètres de l'intersection de Cacao". Guyane, la Première.
"Etude de la biodiversité et des paysages dans le cadre de l'aménagement et l'entretien de la route RD6, communes de Roura et Régina, Guyane". Reserves Naturelles.

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