Balata, French Guiana

Balata is named after the nearby Balata Creek. It is located at the junction of RN1 and RN2 in Matoury.[2]

Haitian emigration to French Guiana started in the late 1960s, and accelerated from the late 1980s onwards.[3] At first, they settled among the Haitians already living in Cayenne.[4] Starting in 1995, shanty towns like Balata appeared on the outskirts of the urban area.[5] Many of the settlers either bought or rented the land. By 2005, only a third of the residents were squatting.[6]

The favourable position at the junction of two main roads, triggered suburbanisation in the area. Family Plaza, a 30,000 m² commercial centre with shopping mall,[7] a golf course,[8] and the Lycée Balata, a high school, were constructed in Balata.[9]

Balata, a neighbourhood of Matoury,[10] is listed as a QPV, a problematic urban area needing attention,[1] because of its crime rate[11]

• Romanovski, Zéphirin; Piantoni, Frédéric (2008). "Les stratégies d'accès au logement des Haïtiens dans l'agglomération de Cayenne comme facteurs de restructuration urbaine". Marquages territoriaux et reconnaissance communautaire dans l'outre-mer français. 6. doi:10.4000/espacepolitique.1009.