Marowijne

The Maroni, sometimes known as the Marowijne, is a river in South America that separates French Guiana and Suriname and is one of the Longest Rivers in Suriname. The Guianan wet woods ecoregion is traversed by the Maroni. It rises in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and constitutes the (disputed) boundary between France (French Guiana area) and Suriname. It is also known as the Lawa in its higher reaches and the Litani at its source. Litani, Lawa, and Maroni are 612 kilometers long in all (380 mi). Two natural preserves are located near the settlement of Galibi in the estuary region on the Surinamese side of the river. They preserve the birds as well as the leatherback sea turtles that nest there.

The Maroni is the most thoroughly researched river in Suriname. Ships exploring the estuary in the 16th century included Lawrence Keymis, Thomas Masham, Antonio de Berrio, and Adriaen Cabeliau, and in the 17th century, Harcourt, Fisher, and De Vries. More comprehensive explorations were made in the 18th century by Mentell, Patris, Le Blond, and Heneman, and in the 19th century by Zegelaar, Jules Crevaux, Coudreau, Ten Kate, Joost, and others. The Gonini and Tapanahony expeditions, as well as the Tumuk Humak and Southern Border Expeditions, were significant in the twentieth century. The Geologisch Mijnbouwkundige Dienst (GMD) and the Centraal Bureau voor Luchtkartering (CBL) conducted research as a result of these findings (CBL).

Length: 611,7 km