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THE OYAPOCK BRIDGE
2007 – 2010

France’s longest border is with Brazil, following the path of the Oyapock * river in eastern French Guiana. This river has been and remains a natural communication route between the two countries. The construction of a bridge between Saint Georges and Oiapoque * will soon facilitate the crossing of the river, a point of passage that the French government intends to strongly control.Backed by mainland France and with the help of EU subsidies, Guiana is the Amazon basin’s El Dorado. However, this department produces little, imports much of what it consumes, and survives with the help of state welfare. The economy is dependent on the coast and on the French space centre located near Kourou. There are no roads, only rivers, and the virgin forest that covers 90% of the country’s interior is still among the richest and most ecologically complete in the world. Wood and gold are the main natural resources of this French department but the lack of logging routes fortunately keeps the exploitation of the forest in check.In this context, the people of Guiana’s interior have to be resourceful. They have developed a parallel economy, producing gold for export. People dig. The techniques and manpower used are Brazilian, the managers French. The many 4x4s on the road to Saint Georges are always full of workers, travelling to Oiapoque in search of employment. Although with its 3503 inhabitants Saint Georges has a population five times smaller than Oiapoque on the Brazilian side of the border, the minimum wage is four times higher. Once the bridge is built, crossing the border will be much harder. Launched at a meeting between President Chirac and President Cardoso, the construction of the bridge over the Oyapock is now finally becoming reality thanks to the signing of an agreement between the two countries. The aim is to create a road link that will connect the towns of Saint Georges, French Guiana, and Oiapoque in the Brazilian state of Amapá. Brazil is working to extend this road with a further 600 km of track linking the border to Macapa at the mouth of the Amazon River. For Europe, this area is the gateway to South America. The work, originally due to be finished in December 2010, has been delayed. The inauguration of the bridge over the Oyapock, announced by the Brazilian Consul Ana Beltrame for March-April 2011, was to be attended by presidents Sarkozy, Lula and Roussef.

* Oyapock: The river
* Oiapoque: The city