Paramaribo
Encyclopedia
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname
, located on banks of the Suriname River
in the Paramaribo District
. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.
The area changed hands often between the English and Dutch but it was in Dutch hands again in 1667 and under Dutch rule from 1815 until the independence of Suriname in 1975.
On January 1821, a fire in the city centre destroyed over 400 houses and other buildings.
A second fire in September 1832 destroyed another 46 houses on the western part of the Waterkant.
On 7 June 1989, the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
(about 30 km south of Paramaribo) became the crash site of Surinam Airways Flight 764, a Douglas DC-8
. This aeroplane crashed on approach to the runway, killing 176 of the 178 passengers and 9 crew members.
The citizens are chiefly of Asian Indian, indigenous, African, Javanese, Chinese and Dutch descent.
, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, in the Paramaribo district
.
, under the Köppen climate classification
. The city has no true dry season
, all 12 months of the year average more than 60 mm of precipitation, but the city does experience noticeably wetter and drier periods during the year. September through November is the driest period of the year in Paramaribo. Common to many cities with this climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average high temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius. Paramaribo on average sees roughly 2200 mm of rain each year.
Paramaribo is famed for its diverse ethnic makeup, including Creoles
, Hindustani, East Indians, Maroons
, Javanese, Portuguese
, Native Americans
, Levantine, Chinese
, and other Europeans (primarily of Dutch and English descent).
, bauxite
, sugar cane, rice
, cacao, coffee
, rum
, and tropical wood
s. Cement
and paint
are manufactured in the city.
Blue Wing Airlines
has its head office on the grounds of Zorg en Hoop Airport
in Paramaribo.
and Zorg en Hoop Airport
for local flights. The Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge
, which is part of the East-West Link
, connects Paramaribo with Meerzorg
on the other side of the Suriname River.
competition.
Suriname has only one cinema, which is located in the capital.
players; some of them later represented the Netherlands
:
Other sports such as tennis, golf, and basketball are also commonly played in Suriname.
, China. Willemstad
, Curaçao
. Yogyakarta
, Indonesia.
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, located on banks of the Suriname River
Suriname River
The Suriname River is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains...
in the Paramaribo District
Paramaribo District
Paramaribo is a district of Suriname, encompassing the city of Paramaribo and the surrounding area.Paramaribo district has a population of 213,840 and an area 183 km²....
. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.
History
The area, a trading post started by the Dutch, was taken by the English in 1630, and in 1650 the city became the capital of the new English colony.The area changed hands often between the English and Dutch but it was in Dutch hands again in 1667 and under Dutch rule from 1815 until the independence of Suriname in 1975.
On January 1821, a fire in the city centre destroyed over 400 houses and other buildings.
A second fire in September 1832 destroyed another 46 houses on the western part of the Waterkant.
On 7 June 1989, the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij, 45 km south of Paramaribo...
(about 30 km south of Paramaribo) became the crash site of Surinam Airways Flight 764, a Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
. This aeroplane crashed on approach to the runway, killing 176 of the 178 passengers and 9 crew members.
The citizens are chiefly of Asian Indian, indigenous, African, Javanese, Chinese and Dutch descent.
Geography
The city is located on the Suriname RiverSuriname River
The Suriname River is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains...
, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, in the Paramaribo district
Paramaribo District
Paramaribo is a district of Suriname, encompassing the city of Paramaribo and the surrounding area.Paramaribo district has a population of 213,840 and an area 183 km²....
.
Climate
Paramaribo features a tropical rainforest climateTropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
, under the Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. The city has no true dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
, all 12 months of the year average more than 60 mm of precipitation, but the city does experience noticeably wetter and drier periods during the year. September through November is the driest period of the year in Paramaribo. Common to many cities with this climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average high temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius. Paramaribo on average sees roughly 2200 mm of rain each year.
Demographics
Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of the population of Suriname.Paramaribo is famed for its diverse ethnic makeup, including Creoles
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
, Hindustani, East Indians, Maroons
Maroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
, Javanese, Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, Levantine, Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, and other Europeans (primarily of Dutch and English descent).
Economy
The city's major exports are goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
, sugar cane, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, cacao, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, and tropical wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
s. Cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
and paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
are manufactured in the city.
Blue Wing Airlines
Blue Wing Airlines
Blue Wing Airlines n.v. is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Zorg en Hoop Airport in Paramaribo, Suriname. The airline started operations in 2004 and operates charter and scheduled services from Paramaribo to destinations in the Caribbean area. Its main base is Zorg en Hoop Airport...
has its head office on the grounds of Zorg en Hoop Airport
Zorg en Hoop Airport
Zorg en Hoop Airport , is an airport located in the city of Paramaribo, Suriname.- Airlines and destinations:-Flight schools:*Caricom Aviation Academy*Kuyake Aviation Academy...
in Paramaribo.
Transport
Paramaribo is served by the Johan Adolf Pengel International AirportJohan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij, 45 km south of Paramaribo...
and Zorg en Hoop Airport
Zorg en Hoop Airport
Zorg en Hoop Airport , is an airport located in the city of Paramaribo, Suriname.- Airlines and destinations:-Flight schools:*Caricom Aviation Academy*Kuyake Aviation Academy...
for local flights. The Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge
Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge
The Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge , also called Suriname bridge, is a bridge over the Suriname river between the capital city Paramaribo and Meerzorg in the Commewijne District. The bridge is part of the East-West Link, and is named after former president Jules Wijdenbosch...
, which is part of the East-West Link
East-West Link (Suriname)
The East-West Link is a road in Suriname between Albina in the eastern part of the country to Nieuw Nickerie in the western part, via the capital city of Paramaribo. The southern East-West Link connects Paramaribo with Apoera via Bitagron...
, connects Paramaribo with Meerzorg
Meerzorg
Meerzorg is a town in Suriname, located on the eastern bank of the Suriname River, directly opposite the capital Paramaribo. Its population at the 2004 census was 8,115. Since 2000 it has been connected to Paramaribo by the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge, named after the former President Jules...
on the other side of the Suriname River.
Culture
On Sundays and holidays there is a popular bird songBird song
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs are distinguished by function from calls.-Definition:The distinction between songs and calls is based upon...
competition.
Suriname has only one cinema, which is located in the capital.
Notable landmarks
- Suriname Mosque
- National Assembly of SurinameNational Assembly of SurinameThe National Assembly is the Parliament, representing the legislative branch of government in the Republic of Suriname. It is a unicameral legislature...
- Neveh Shalom SynagogueNeveh Shalom SynagogueThe Neveh Shalom Synagogue is the only synagogue of the Ashkenazi community in Suriname.The Neveh Shalom Synagogue is the only synagogue of the Ashkenazi community in Suriname....
- Roman Catholic St Peter and St Paul Cathedral
Sports
Paramaribo is the birthplace of several footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
players; some of them later represented the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
:
- Andwélé SloryAndwélé SloryAndwélé "Andy" Cedric Slory is a retired Dutch footballer who last played as a right winger for Adelaide United FC in the Hyundai A-League. After his professional debut for Stormvogels Telstar at the age of 18, Slory promoted to the Eredivisie with his next club Excelsior.In the Eredivisie, Slory...
- Aron WinterAron WinterAron Mohamed Winter [VIN-ter] is a retired Dutch football midfielder and current head coach of Toronto FC...
- Clarence SeedorfClarence SeedorfClarence Clyde Seedorf OON is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Milan. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007...
- Edgar DavidsEdgar DavidsEdgar Steven Davids is a retired Dutch footballer and current member of the supervisory board of Ajax. After beginning his career with the Amsterdam club, he subsequently played in Italy for Milan and Juventus before a loan spell with Barcelona. He went on to play for Internazionale and Tottenham...
- Fabian WilnisFabian WilnisFabian Lloyd Wilnis is a retired Dutch-Surinamese right-sided defender. He played for NAC Breda, De Graafschap, Ipswich Town and Grays Athletic.-Career:...
- Henk FräserHenk FräserHendrikus "Henk" Fräser is a former football defender from The Netherlands, who earned seven caps for the Netherlands national football team, in which he scored one goal. He was a member of the Dutch team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy under manager Leo Beenhakker...
- Jerry de JongJerry de JongJerry Murrien de Jong is a retired Dutch footballer.He played as a defender or defensive midfielder, and played for seven different clubs during a seventeen-year professional career, including PSV Eindhoven.-Football career:De Jong started off his career in the second division, where he...
- Jimmy Floyd HasselbainkJimmy Floyd HasselbainkJerrel Hasselbaink usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team. He scored more than 200 career goals...
- Jeremain LensJeremain LensJeremain Lens is a Dutch-Surinam footballer who currently plays for PSV Eindhoven. He is a versatile offensive player, the best known for his pace and stamina, primarily being used as a winger or a striker, but he can successfully play as a second striker. In August 2010 he received the first...
- Maarten AtmodikoroMaarten AtmodikoroMaarten Atmodikoro is a retired football defender from the Netherlands, who started his professional career in the 1989/1990 season for Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging. He later played for Dordrecht '90 , NAC Breda, NEC Nijmegen, and ADO Den Haag. He retired in 2001.-References:...
- Mark de VriesMark de VriesMark de Vries is a Dutch footballer currently playing for Dutch Jupiler League club SC Cambuur.- Early career :...
- Regi BlinkerRegi BlinkerReginald "Regi" Waldi Blinker is a former Dutch footballer of Surinamese extraction, who played as a left winger....
- Romeo CastelenRomeo CastelenRomeo Castelen is a Dutch footballer who plays for Hamburger SV in Germany, as a right winger.-Den Haag:Castelen started his professional career with ADO Den Haag, playing two full seasons in the second division...
- Stanley MenzoStanley MenzoStanley Purl Menzo is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and a current coach.Most of his professional career was spent at Ajax , appearing in more than 300 official matches with the club and winning nine major titles.Menzo represented the Dutch national team in one World Cup...
- Ulrich van GobbelUlrich van GobbelUlrich van Gobbel is a former Dutch football player who played as a defender for Feyenoord Rotterdam , Galatasaray and Southampton. At Southampton he scored two goals, with one coming against Lincoln City in the League Cup and one in the league against Leicester City...
- Mitchell Tjin-fooh
- Edson BraafheidEdson BraafheidEdson René Braafheid is a Surinamese-born Dutch footballer who currently plays as a left back for German Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim.- Utrecht :Braafheid began his professional career at FC Utrecht in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the side....
Other sports such as tennis, golf, and basketball are also commonly played in Suriname.
Sister cities
Antwerp, Belgium. HangzhouHangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, China. Willemstad
Willemstad
Willemstad can refer to:*Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao*Willemstad , a town in Moerdijk, the Netherlands*Willemstad , a hamlet near Marum, the Netherlands*Willemstad , a hamlet in the Netherlands...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (city)
Yogyakarta is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to...
, Indonesia.