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27-699: The city is named for the Paramaribo tribe living at the mouth of the Suriname River ; the name is from Tupi–Guarani para "large river" + maribo "inhabitants". The name Paramaribo is probably a corruption of the name of a native village, spelled Parmurbo in the earliest Dutch sources. This was the location of the first Dutch settlement, a trading post established by Nicolaes Baliestel and Dirck Claeszoon van Sanen in 1613. English and French traders also tried to establish settlements in Suriname, including

54-456: A French post established in 1644 near present-day Paramaribo. All earlier settlements were abandoned some time before the arrival of English settlers in 1650 to found Surinam . They were sent by the English governor of Barbados, Lord Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham , and established a town on the site of Paramaribo (though probably south of the current town center). The town

81-470: A river called " Shurinama ". In 1598, a fleet of three Dutch ships visiting the Wild Coast mention passing the river " Surinamo ". In 1617, a Dutch notary spelled the name of the river on which a Dutch trading post had existed three years earlier as " Surrenant ". The Dutch navigator David Pietersz. de Vries wrote of traveling up the " Sername " river in 1634 until he encountered the English colony there;

108-534: A significant number of Brazilians, Guyanese and new Chinese immigrants have settled in Paramaribo. Paramaribo is the business and financial centre of Suriname. Even though the capital city does not produce significant goods itself, almost all revenues from the country's main export products gold , oil, bauxite , rice , and tropical wood are channeled through its institutions. All banks, insurance corporations and other financial and commercial companies are headquartered in Paramaribo. Around 75 percent of Suriname's GDP

135-674: Is Anton de Kom University of Suriname , the country's only university. Paramaribo is home to four hospitals, the Academic Hospital Paramaribo , 's Lands Hospitaal , Sint Vincentius Hospital and Diakonessenhuis . The Dutch colonial town established in 17th and 18th centuries was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. The historic inner city is located along the left bank of the Suriname River. The original architecture of buildings and street plan has largely remained intact and preserved. Paramaribo

162-434: Is Lelydorp , the second-largest city in Suriname. Wanica has a population of 118,222 and an area of 443 km . Following neighboring Paramaribo , Wanica is the second most populated and urbanized district of Suriname. Two-thirds of the country's population live in these two districts. The district was created in 1983 out of parts of the former Suriname District . The district was named Wanica after Pad van Wanica,

189-735: Is twinned with: Suriname River The Suriname River ( Dutch : Surinamerivier ) is 480 kilometres (300 mi) long and flows through the country of Suriname . Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains (where it is known as the Gran Rio ). The source of the Upper Suriname River is at the confluence of

216-639: Is consumed in Paramaribo. Tourism is an increasingly important sector, with most visitors coming from the Netherlands. Administratively, Paramaribo forms its own district in Suriname. The resorts of Paramaribo district therefore correspond to boroughs of the city. There are twelve resorts in the Paramaribo district: Paramaribo is served by the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport and Zorg en Hoop Airport for local flights. The Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge , which

243-399: Is famed for its diverse ethnic makeup with 27% identifying as Creoles (African or mixed African-European descent), 23% as East Indian , 18% as Multiracial , 16% as Maroons (descendants of escaped enslaved Africans), 10% as Javanese , 2% as Indigenous , 1.5% as Chinese , and smaller numbers of Europeans (primarily of Dutch and Portuguese descent), Lebanese and Jews. In the past decades

270-732: Is joined by the Commewijne and immediately thereafter at the sandspit Braamspunt it flows into the Atlantic Ocean . The river has several sets of rapids as well as a few dams, the largest of which is the Afobaka Dam. The river's flow is interrupted by the Brokopondo Reservoir , which therefore divides the river into two sections. The upstream section runs almost entirely through the Sipaliwini district , and

297-726: Is located on the Suriname River , approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, in the Paramaribo district . Paramaribo features a tropical rainforest climate ( Af ), under the Köppen climate classification . Because Paramaribo is more subject to the Intertropical Convergence Zone than the trade winds and sees no tropical cyclones , its climate is classified as equatorial. The city has no true dry season ; all 12 months of

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324-487: Is part of the East-West Link , connects Paramaribo with Meerzorg on the other side of the Suriname River. The Jules Sedney Harbour is the main harbour for cargo. The former harbour of Waterkant is used by ferries. Most airlines like Gum Air , Caricom Airways and Blue Wing Airlines have their head offices on the grounds of Zorg en Hoop Airport in Paramaribo. Paramaribo's institution of higher learning

351-596: The Americas , the Neveh Shalom Synagogue , is found in Paramaribo. The population of the town was greatly increased after 1873, when former enslaved people (who had been freed in 1863) were allowed to stop working for their former masters and leave the sugar plantations. Paramaribo has remained the capital of Suriname, from its colonial days through the independence of Suriname in 1975 to the present day. The old town has suffered many devastating fires over

378-531: The Gran Rio and Pikin Rio near the village of Goddo . The river continues shortly after the reservoir along Brokopondo as the Lower Suriname River. Than it flows Berg en Dal , the migrant communities Klaaskreek and Nieuw-Lombé , Jodensavanne , Carolina , Ornamibo and Domburg , before reaching the capital Paramaribo on the left bank and Meerzorg on the right bank. At Nieuw-Amsterdam it

405-431: The Suriname River. The adjoining strip of water has been protected with nets to allow swimming in the piranha -infested waters. As a result of this and associated recreation facilities, White Beach is a popular weekend destination. [REDACTED] Media related to Suriname River at Wikimedia Commons Wanica District Wanica is a district of Suriname located in the north of the country. Wanica's capital city

432-435: The colony " Surinam "; this would remain the standard spelling in English. A 1663 royal charter said the region around the river was "called Serrinam also Surrinam". For import and export , the Suriname is by far the most important river in the country. Not only do all vessels carrying bauxite , aluminum oxide and aluminum depart from Suriname via the river, nearly all vessels carrying materials vital for Suriname enter

459-562: The country at Braamspunt in order to offload their cargoes in the harbours of Paramaribo (immediately south of the city centre), or the harbours of Smalkalden and Paranam – approximately 30 km from Paramaribo – which are vital for the aluminum industry. During the Second World War , the 6,000 tonne North German Lloyd cargo ship Goslar was scuttled in the Suriname in order to prevent it from falling into Allied hands. The wreck has never been removed and remains visible in

486-432: The course of the year, with average high temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius and average low temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius. Paramaribo on average receives roughly 2,135 millimetres or 84 inches of rainfall each year. Paramaribo has a population of 240,924 people (2012 census). While the population number is stagnating in recent years, many towns in the surrounding Wanica District are increasing in population. The city

513-536: The downstream section runs through the Brokopondo , Para , Commewijne , Wanica and Paramaribo districts. The name Suriname may derive from an indigenous people called Surinen, who inhabited the area at the time of European contact. The earliest European sources give variants of "Suriname" as the name of the river. Lawrence Kemys wrote in his Relation of the Second Voyage to Guiana of passing

540-475: The leading town of the now Dutch colony of Suriname. The fort protecting Paramaribo was renamed Fort Zeelandia in honor of the Dutch province that had financed Crijnssen's fleet. (The town was also renamed New Middelburg but the name did not catch on with the inhabitants). The population of Paramaribo has always been very diverse. Among the first British settlers were many Jews and one of the oldest synagogues in

567-471: The main road, Wanica Creek (present in the district), and the fact that the name had already been used on old maps. The discovery of gold in Brokopondo and Sipaliwini lead to the construction of the Lawa Railway and growth of the villages next to the railway line, and especially Kofi Djompo . The railway line was decommissioned in 1986. The district's capital, originally called Kofi Djompo ,

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594-562: The middle of the river. In 2000, the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge at Paramaribo was officially opened by the President , who had commissioned construction of the bridge and after whom it is named. The bridge permits access to the eastern part of the country. At Carolina , approximately 50 km South of Paramaribo, a wooden bridge crosses the river. Near Domburg , an artificial white sand beach has been created along

621-510: The terminal vowel remained in future Dutch spellings and pronunciations. In 1640, a Spanish manuscript entitled "General Description of All His Majesty's Dominions in America" called the river " Soronama ". In 1653, instructions given to a British fleet sailing to meet Lord Willoughby in Barbados , which at the time was the seat of English colonial government in the region, spelled the name of

648-408: The year average more than 60 millimetres or 2.4 inches of rainfall, but the city does experience noticeably wetter and drier periods during the year. The northern hemisphere " autumn " (September through November) is the driest period of the year in Paramaribo, and the heaviest rainfall occurs from April to July. Common to many cities with this climate, temperatures are relatively consistent throughout

675-529: The years, notably in January 1821 (which destroyed over 400 buildings) and September 1832 (which destroyed nearly 50 buildings). The slaves Kodjo , Mentor, and Present were found guilty of arson , and burnt alive. In May 1972, the Paramaribo Zoo opened. In 1987, an administrative reorganization took place in Suriname and the city was divided into 12 administrative resorts (jurisdictions). The city

702-547: Was protected by a fort, called Fort Willoughby . In 1662, Governor Willoughby was granted the settlement and surrounding lands (extending into Suriname's interior) by King Charles II. Around 1665 the village of Paramaribo was expanded and quickly outranked the earlier settlement of Torarica . In 1667, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War , Paramaribo was conquered by a squadron of ships under Abraham Crijnssen . The Treaty of Breda in 1667 confirmed Paramaribo as

729-420: Was renamed in 1905 for Dutch architect Cornelis Lely , who was responsible for many large construction projects in the Netherlands and was also governor of Suriname. Javanese immigration and the closeness to Paramaribo , have resulted in a partially suburban, and still partially agricultural district. The beginning of the 21st century have seen many building projects in the district. Rice used to be

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