Maroni (river)

	Maroni; Marowijne
	Sunrise over the Maroni
	Data
location	Suriname / French Guiana border
River system	Chestnuts
origin	Confluence of Tapanahony and Lawa (Aoua) ; 4 ° 21 ′ 49 ″ N , 54 ° 26 ′ 7 ″ W
muzzle	in the Atlantic Coordinates: 5 ° 44 ′ 54 " N , 53 ° 57 ′ 51" W 5 ° 44 ′ 54 " N , 53 ° 57 ′ 51" W;
Catchment area	68,700 km²
Small towns	Albina
	View over the Maroni to Suriname

The Maroni or Marowijne ( Sranan Tongo : Marwina-liba ) is a river in South America. It forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname , has numerous rapids ( called Tongo sulas in Sranan ) and an estuary that is sometimes difficult to access due to the sandbanks .

The name Marowijne is used for the part of the river that is below the confluence of the Tapanahony and Lawa .

In the estuary area on the Surinamese side near the Caribbean village of Galibi, two nature reserves have been set up to protect the bird world and the leatherback turtles that lay eggs there .

Border problems

In 1860, the French asked which of the two source rivers was to be regarded as the upper course and thus the border river. A Franco-Dutch commission was set up to clarify this question. From the Dutch side, JH Baron van Heerdt tot Eversberg, JFA Cateau van Rosevelt and August Kappler , from the French side Luits Vidal, Ronmy, Boudet and the doctor Rech belonged to the commission. Measurements were therefore carried out in 1861 with the following results: the Lawa has a discharge rate of 35960 m³ / min and a width of 436 m; the Tapanahony has a discharge of 20291 m³ at a width of 285 m. Thus the Lawa was considered the upper reaches of the Marowijne.

Until 1885 there were no problems with this decision. However, the discovery of gold in the area between Lawa and Tapanahony created another border conflict. On November 29, 1888, France and the Netherlands signed an agreement according to which the conflict should be subject to an arbitration award. The Russian Tsar Alexander III. determined as appointed arbitrator that the Lawa is to be regarded as the upper reaches of the Marowijne and thus as a border river.

Now the question arose, however, which river is to be regarded as the source river of the Lawa. The Netherlands considered the Marowini (the eastern source river) as the origin of the Lawa, the French considered the Litani, which runs further west, as the source river. This question has not yet been clarified.

The Litani rises in the Tumuk-Humak Mountains at approx. 2½ ° north latitude and 55 ° west longitude ; In its course it includes the Koele Koelekreek (in whose headwaters the three-country point, which was established in 1938 and is now again controversial, is located), the Loekreek , the Mapaonikreek and the Oelemari . 2.5 -55

The Marowini also rises in the Tumuk-Humak Mountains at about 2 ° north latitude and 54 ° west longitude ; he takes u. a. the Koetoekreek . 2 -54

Some numbers

The river basin of the Marowijne is 68,700 km²; above the river island Langatabbetje (110 km from the mouth) this area is 63,700 km². The mean flow rate at Langatabbetje in the period 1952–1973 was approx. 1700 m³ / sec. The minimum is 95 m³ / sec., The maximum at 6550 m³ / sec. The length of the estuary is about 90 km; the mean tidal range in the estuary is 2 m; the tidal volume is approx. 300 million m³; In the dry season, the salt line extends about 40 km upstream to Albina .

The estimated potential hydropower energy for Suriname is between 1150 and 1250 megawatts.

exploration

Of all the Surinamese rivers, the Marowijne is the most explored. Already in the 16th century there were river trips in the estuary by Lawrence Keymis , Thomas Masham , Antonio de Berrio and Adriaen Cabeliau , in the 17th century by Harcourt, Fisher and De Vries. In the 18th century, Mentelle, Patris, Le Blond and Heneman also researched the further course; in the 19th century by Zegelaar, Crevaux , Henri Coudreau , Ten Kate, Joost and others. a.

In the 20th century, the Gonini and Tapanahony expeditions, the Tumuk Humak and the southern border expedition should be mentioned in particular. In addition, there is research by the Geological Mijnbouwkundige Dienst (GMD) and the Centraal Bureau voor Luchtkartering (CBL).

Others

In the novel Papillon , Henri Charrière describes his escape from the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni camp , which led him to the Atlantic by sailing boat on the Maroni .

literature

CFA Bruijning and J. Voorhoeve (red.): Encyclopedie van Suriname . Elsevier , Amsterdam a. Brussel 1977, ISBN 90-10-01842-3 , p. 256 u. 396-397.

Web links

Commons : Maroni - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Walter Raleigh , Joyce Lorimer (Ed.): Sir Walter Ralegh's Discoverie of Guiana. Ashgate, London 2006, p. 360, ISBN 0-904180-87-5

[1] Walter Raleigh , Joyce Lorimer (Ed.): Sir Walter Ralegh's Discoverie of Guiana. Ashgate, London 2006, p. 360, ISBN 0-904180-87-5