Paramaribo

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Paramaribo
The street Waterkant in Paramaribo
Nickname(s): Par'bo
Paramaribo is located in Suriname
Paramaribo
The location of Paramaribo in Suriname
Coordinates: 5°52′N 55°10′W / 5.867°N 55.167°W / 5.867; -55.167Coordinates: 5°52′N 55°10′W / 5.867°N 55.167°W / 5.867; -55.167
Country  Suriname
District Paramaribo District
Population (2011)
 • Total 244,946
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, more than half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.

Contents

[edit] History

1830s lithograph of the market

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 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.

[edit] Geography

Astronaut View of Paramaribo

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

[edit] Climate

Paramaribo features a tropical rainforest climate, 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.

Climate data for Paramaribo
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 33
(91)		 33
(91)		 32
(90)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 28
(82)		 28
(82)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 27
(81)
Average low °C (°F) 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)
Precipitation mm (inches) 200
(7.87)		 140
(5.51)		 150
(5.91)		 210
(8.27)		 290
(11.42)		 290
(11.42)		 230
(9.06)		 170
(6.69)		 90
(3.54)		 90
(3.54)		 120
(4.72)		 180
(7.09)		 2,220
(87.4)
Source: Weatherbase[1]

[edit] Demographics

Historic Inner City of Paramaribo *
Colonial style houses, Waterkant, Paramaribo
Country 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, Portuguese, Native Americans, Levantine, Chinese, and other Europeans (primarily of Dutch and English descent).

[edit] 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.[citation needed]

Blue Wing Airlines has its head office on the grounds of Zorg en Hoop Airport in Paramaribo.[2]

[edit] Transport

Paramaribo is served by the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport 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.

[edit] Culture

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

[edit] Notable landmarks

Paramaribo's Neve Shalom Synogogue
Helstone Monument
The National Assembly of Suriname
Tailor's shop, Paramaribo, 1955

[edit] Sports

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

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

[edit] Sister cities

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Paramaribo". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=52218&refer=&units=metric. 
  2. ^ "Eight feared dead in Suriname air crash". The Press. Reuters. 16 May 2010. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/world/3703459/Eight-feared-dead-in-Suriname-air-crash. Retrieved 1 November 2011. 
  3. ^ Willemstad World Heritage City

[edit] External links
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paramaribo&oldid=477621859"
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