The canton of Iracoubo (French: Canton d'Iracoubo) was one of the former cantons of the Guyane department in French Guiana. Located in the arrondissement of Cayenne, its administrative seat was located in Iracoubo, the only commune in the canton. The canton had a population of 1,955 in 2012. The canton was abolished on 31 December 2015 as part of the territorial reorganisation of French Guiana.
Name The meaning of Iracoubo in the Kalina language is "place of the great river" or "great riverbank". The name is derived from "ira" meaning "river" and "coubo" meaning "great" or "large." This name is likely due to Iracoubo's location on the banks of the Iracoubo River.
History The Iracoubo area became a refuge for surviving Acadian families following the disastrous 1764 Kourou colonisation campaign. Out of 14,000 settlers sent to French Guiana, around 11,000 perished from disease and malnutrition on the Salvation Islands, and 2,000 were repatriated. Among the remaining 1,000 survivors were roughly 400 Acadians. In 1765, about forty of these Acadian peasant and fishing families established communities along the coast, including in Iracoubo.
The canton later functioned as an administrative division of the Guyane department within the arrondissement of Cayenne and included Macouria as its only commune.
As part of the territorial reorganisation of French Guiana, the cantons of the department were abolished on 31 December 2015 following the implementation of Law No. 2011-884 of 27 July 2011, which created the territorial collective of French Guiana. The territory of the former canton became part of the new electoral sections established under the reorganisation.
Demographics According to the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), the canton of Macouria had a population of 1,955 in 2012.
Administration +List of successive general councillorsIn officeNamePartyNotesRef.19551961M. LiguonDVD19611973Robert VignonUNR then UDRSenator (1962–1971)Mayor of Maripasoula (1969–1976)19731979M. CyrilleUDR then RPR19791985Georges OthilyPSGSenator (1989–2008)Regional councillor (1982–2010)President of the Regional Council (1982–1992)Mayor of Iracoubo (1995–2001)19851998Ferdinand MadeleineRPR19982015Daniel MangalDVDMayor of Iracoubo (2001–2014)
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