Paramaribo

Paramaribo
The street Waterkant in Paramaribo
Nickname(s): Par'bo
Paramaribo The location of Paramaribo in Suriname
Coordinates: 5°52′N 55°10′W / 5.867°N 55.167°W / 5.867; -55.167
Country	Suriname
District	Paramaribo District
Population
- Estimate ({{{pop_est_as_of}}})	242,946
Time zone	ART (UTC-3)

Paramaribo (nickname: Par′bo) 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. 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 (about 30 km south of Paramaribo) became the crash site of Surinam Airways Flight 764, a Douglas DC-8. This airplane 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, and Dutch descent.

Geography

The city is located on the Suriname River, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, in the Paramaribo district.

Demographics

Historic Inner City of Paramaribo*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Suriname
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	940
Region**	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription	2002  (26th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

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, Hindustani, East Indians, Maroons, Javanese, Native Americans, Chinese, and Europeans (primarily of Dutch and English descent).

Economy

The city's major exports are gold, bauxite, sugar cane, rice, cacao, coffee, rum, and tropical woods. Cement and paint are manufactured in the city.

Transport

Paramaribo is served by the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport and Zorg en Hoop Airport for local flights.

Culture

On Sundays and holidays there is a popular bird song competition. Suriname has only one cinema, which is located in the capital.

Notable landmarks

Paramaribo Synogogue

• National Assembly of Suriname
• Suriname Mosque
• Neveh Shalom Synagogue
• Houten Church

Sports

Helstone Monument

The National Assembly of Suriname

Tailor's shop, Paramaribo, 1955.

Paramaribo is the birthplace of several football players; some of them later represented the Netherlands:

• Aron Winter
• Clarence Seedorf
• Edgar Davids
• Fabian Wilnis
• Henk Fräser
• Jerry de Jong
• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
• Jeremain Lens
• Maarten Atmodikoro
• Mark de Vries
• Regi Blinker
• Romeo Castelen
• Stanley Menzo
• Ulrich van Gobbel
• Mitchell Tjin-fooh

Other sports such as tennis, golf, and basketball are also commonly played in Suriname.

Sister cities

• Hangzhou, China.
• Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles. ^[1]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paramaribo

• Map of Paramaribo
• Google satellite view of Paramaribo
• Page with some basic information and images
• Audio interview with Paramaribo resident about life in Paramaribo
• Image gallery
• Paramaribo photo gallery
• Photo gallery
• High resolution image of old print of Paramaribo