Saül

Saül

Saül's airfield: the terminal building

Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana
Coordinates: 3°37′22″N 53°12′34″W / 3.6228°N 53.2094°WCoordinates: 3°37′22″N 53°12′34″W / 3.6228°N 53.2094°W
Country France
Overseas region and department French Guiana
Arrondissement Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
Intercommunality Ouest Guyanais
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Marie-Hélène Charles
Area1 4,475 km2 (1,728 sq mi)
Population (2012)2 151
 • Density 0.034/km2 (0.087/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 97352 / 97314

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.

Saül is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.

It is very remote, surrounded by dense rainforest and, because there are no roads to the town, can only be reached by airplane.

The principal activities in the town are gold mining and trekking through the many rainforest trails. There is a tourist camp (Larozaly) and hotel (Les Eaux Claires) in the town.

Economy

Saül is situated in the Amazonian Forest and is not connected to any road system. Saül's economy is based on eco and scientific tourism. Tourists can reach the town by plane thanks to Air Guyane Express. In July 2008, the REXMA corporation made an application for a gold mining permit. Due to environmental concerns, the French Government postponed the decision in October 2008. On 26 October 2012, Arnaud Montebourg, the French Industry Minister, approved the permit. The Mayor and the council were shocked by this decision as they are promoting and living off eco tourism.

The inhabitants of Saül, the botanist Scott Mori, politicians such as Chantal Berthelot and José Gaillou, and many organizations like IUCN, Fédération Guyane Nature Environment and Rainforest Rescue protested against the decision to reward the permit.[1] Opposition grew from the possibility that the mine would cause the partial destruction of the Guiana Amazonian Park and the decline of water quality.

Climate

Climate data for Saul
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29
(84)		 28
(83)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 29
(85)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 33
(91)		 33
(91)		 32
(90)		 30
(86)		 30.2
(86.3)
Average low °C (°F) 21
(69)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 22
(71)		 22
(72)		 21
(69)		 19
(67)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 21
(69)		 21
(70)		 21
(69)		 21
(69.5)
Average precipitation cm (inches) 25
(10)		 26.9
(10.6)		 31.5
(12.4)		 25.7
(10.1)		 33
(13)		 22.4
(8.8)		 13
(5)		 11.7
(4.6)		 5.3
(2.1)		 3.8
(1.5)		 9.7
(3.8)		 13.5
(5.3)		 221.5
(87.2)
Source: Weatherbase [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Guiana’s living treasures are more valuable than gold". 2013. Retrieved on March.11.2013.
  2. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Saul, French Guiana". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
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