The Maroni River basin covers 65,830km², 37,500km² in Suriname, 27,200km² in France and 200km² in Brazil.
Several regions are named after the river, including the commune, canton, and arrondissement of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
The course of the river
The Maroni River begins in Tapanahoni, a resort in Suriname’s Guyana Highlands. It flows between Galibi in Suriname and Awala-Yalimapo in French Guiana, ending in the Atlantic Ocean. There are many rapids on the river.
Uses
Water transport is possible on the lower reaches to the city of Apatou. The Maroni River flows through multiple resorts and municipalities, including Tapanahoni, Albina, Galibi, Maripasoula, Grand-Santi, and Awala-Yalimapo.
Geography
Maroni is part of French Guiana’s dense hydrographic network, typical of equatorial regions. The area’s main rivers originate inland on highlands or southern plateaus. These rivers flow from south to north and empty into the Atlantic Ocean.
With a length of 611.7 km1, the Maroni river rises in the resort of Tapanahoni, on the northern slopes of the Serra Tumucumaci Mountains in the Guyana Highlands of Suriname. As it flows between the resort of Galibi in Suriname and the municipality of Awala-Yalimapo in French Guiana, it serves as the border between Guyana and Suriname.
Eventually, the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean, forming an estuary. The boundary between France and Suriname is established on the median line of the river between Stoelmans Island (Suriname) and Portal Island (France) by the Convention of 30 September 1915. It is presumed that, by virtue of the Barcelona Acts of 1921, the boundary is drawn on the median line upstream, unless a ratified agreement on the delimitation of the boundary has been concluded between the two coastal States.On the upper reaches of the river, the border is still disputed in the early 21st century.
