Official Name: | Île Portal |
Settlement Type: | Island |
Pushpin Map: | French Guiana |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in French Guiana |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | France |
Subdivision Type1: | Overseas region |
Subdivision Name1: | French Guiana |
Subdivision Type2: | Arrondissement |
Subdivision Name2: | Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni |
Subdivision Type3: | Commune |
Subdivision Name3: | Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni |
Area Footnotes: | [1] |
Area Total Km2: | 27 |
Population As Of: | 2011 |
Population Total: | 124 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Coordinates: | 5.4056°N -54.1084°W |
Île Portal is an island in the Maroni River in the commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana.[2] The island measures 27 km2[1]
In 1852, Constant Bar started a plantation on the island to produce coffee, sugar and wood. The workforce consisted of African and East-Indian immigrants, and French convicts from the penal colony.[3] In 1878, the island was visited by the explorer Jules Crevaux who noted that four brothers were operating the plantation.[4] In the early 20th century, the island was bought by Talon who started a distillery on the island. In 1964, the distillery and the buildings burnt down in a fire.[3]
About 200 Kalina Amerindians used to live on the island. In the late 1970s, the island was bought[5] by SCI de Provence,[6] a real estate company, who wanted the Amerindians off their land.[5] In 1981, they were told to leave the island, and resettle in Espérance.[7]
In 1983, the Prefecture of French Guiana refused to forcibly remove the remaining population of the island. SCI de Provence has sued the State for damages.[6] In 2011, there were still 124 people living on the island.[8] As of 2018, there are little camps along the river. There is no school on the island, and the children have to take a pirogue to the mainland followed by a bus to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.[2] As of 2019, SCI de Provence is still in litigation.[9]