It lies on the Oyapock River (which forms the border with Brazil), opposite the Brazilian town of Oiapoque.

[6] In February 1677, John Apricius founded a Dutch colony,[7]: 275  and constructed Fort Orange.

[8] The town was founded on 23 April 1853 as a penal colony and named after a Dutch coin of Saint George which was discovered at the site.

The discovery of gold in 1885 in the Camopi River revived the hamlet and the town was officially created in 1947.

[14] Following an international treaty between France and Brazil signed in 15 July 2005,[15] the Oyapock River Bridge was built, with construction completed in 2011.

With the opening of the bridge, it is now possible to drive uninterrupted from Cayenne to Macapá (on the Amazon River), the capital of the state of Amapá in Brazil.