Paramaribo, Suriname

Paramaribo is the cultural, economic, and administrative capital of Suriname, a South American nation bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The city was the capital of the former Dutch and British colonies in Suriname and was named the administrative capital when the country achieved its independence. The downtown area of Paramaribo has been classified as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Landscape

Paramaribo lies on the northern coast of Suriname, approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean, on the Suriname River. The city is built on a plateau, at an average elevation of five meters (sixteen feet) above sea level. Over 90 percent of Suriname is covered by dense, tropical forest. Paramaribo is the only urban area on the northern coast and the largest and most densely populated city in the nation.

Paramaribo has a tropical climate with frequent rainfall, high year-round temperatures, and high humidity. Temperatures on the coast are moderated by the ocean. In Paramaribo, temperatures average between 22 and 33 degrees Celsius (71 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit); the hottest period occurs between July and November. Rainfall averages 2,200 millimeters (87 inches) per year. The heaviest rainfall comes between June and July. The average humidity hovers around 80 percent.

The central square of Paramaribo, constructed by French, British, and Dutch settlers, covers approximately 60 hectares (148 acres) of the central urban area. The metropolitan area extends along more than 16 kilometers (10.1 miles) of the Suriname River and more than 8 kilometers (5.4 miles) inland. Many of the buildings in Paramaribo are of colonial design, though there is also modern architecture in the area surrounding the central city. The city is organized into overlapping grids; the city's layout reflects a traditional Dutch style. Paramaribo has wide streets, which are lined with trees and punctuated by green areas.

People

Paramaribo had an estimated population of 239,000 in 2018 according to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), making it the nation's most populous area. Suriname is an ethnically diverse nation, with large portions of the population descended from slaves and laborers brought there during the colonial period. More than 27 percent of the population is East Indian, and another 15.7 percent is of mixed African and European ancestry, according to 2012 estimates. Javanese residents make up roughly 13.7 percent of the population. Maroons, descendants of African slaves who escaped and lived in the Suriname jungles, account for roughly 21.7 percent of the modern population. Amerindian residents and their descendants represent approximately 2 percent of the population.

Dutch is the official language of Suriname and is used in administrative and educational settings. The majority of the population is literate and fluent in Dutch and often English. Many Surinamers also speak Sranan Tongo, also known as Taki-Taki, a Creole language that is accepted as the country's native dialect. Members of the East Indian population often speak a form of Hindi known as Caribbean Hindustani.

Over 40 percent of the nation's residents practice some form of Christianity; Protestantism is the most popular sect, accounting for approximately 23.6 percent of religious residents according to 2012 estimates. There are also large populations of Hindu practitioners (27 percent of the population) living in some areas. Suriname also has a large and diverse variety of Islamic sects, which account for approximately 13.8 percent of the population. Indigenous religions are also practiced.

International and ethnic cuisines are featured in many of the city's restaurants. Chinese and Javanese food are common and popular in the downtown area. Primary education is compulsory until age twelve. Football (soccer) and cricket are the most popular sports in Paramaribo, and Suriname has produced several internationally recognized football players.

Economy

Paramaribo is Suriname's primary center for the export and import of goods. Norway, Canada, the United States, France, and Belgium are among the nation's main trading partners. Suriname imports a variety of food products, petroleum, equipment, and machinery. Standard exports include minerals, concrete and stone products, lumber, rice, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Suriname is also an important producer of shrimp for the international seafood market.

Mining is the principal industry in Suriname, particularly of gold and oil. The country historically produced large quantities of bauxite, which is refined to produce aluminum, although the sector declined after a major US-based company ceased operations in Suriname in 2015. Lumbering is another important industry. The industrial production and manufacturing sector contributes roughly 31 percent of Suriname's gross domestic product (GDP), according to a 2017 CIA estimate. Paramaribo is home to a number of manufacturing plants.

The services industry, which includes tourism, hospitality, and financial services, employs approximately 70 percent of the population. As the nation's largest city, Paramaribo is the center of the services industry and the primary location for tourism. Paramaribo has no public transportation system, but the city is serviced by privately owned buses that operate on specific routes. The nation's largest international airport is located near Paramaribo.

Offshore oil deposits were discovered in 2020. Suriname and Guyana agreed to work together to develop this industry.

Landmarks

UNESCO designated downtown Paramaribo as a World Heritage Site in recognition of its preserved buildings and monuments, which reflect the city's Dutch colonial history. Many of the streets in downtown Paramaribo are lined with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century colonial buildings, most of which have been restored and now house administrative and private offices.

Most of Paramaribo's administrative buildings are located near Onafhankelijksplein (Unity Square). Both the Presidential Palace, built in the eighteenth century, and the houses of parliament are located in the central square. The square also contains a statue of Suriname's most famous political figure, former prime minister Johan Pengel. Directly behind the square is Palmentuin Park, an urban green space that was once a private colonial garden. The garden was converted into a public park; picnic areas can be found among its rows of palm trees.

The Central Market, near Unity Square, is the city's primary marketplace. In the Central Market, hundreds of vendors gather to sell a variety of foods, arts, and crafts. The market is divided into Maroon, Indian, and Asian areas, each of which offers a different complement of retail goods.

Paramaribo has a number of museums that feature Surinamese art and historical artifacts. Among the city's more unusual museums is the Numismatic Museum, which contains collections of historic banknotes and coins spanning the history of Surinamese currency. Fort Zeelandia is the Dutch fort that served as the foundation for the city. The fort now houses a small museum with artifacts and recreations of objects significant to the Dutch colonial lifestyle.

History

Amerindian tribes were the first to settle Paramaribo, leaving evidence along the coast that suggests that the early residents made their living fishing in the ocean and river. By the time Europeans arrived in Suriname, the Arawak and Carib tribes had replaced those groups.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit Suriname, arriving in 1499, and were followed by British, French, and Dutch. The French established a fort near Paramaribo in 1640 but had difficulty maintaining it because of hostile relations with the Carib tribes. British colonists replaced the failing French colony in 1651 and brought a small population of African slaves to take advantage of the region's timber and farming potential.

The Dutch sought the territory to use as a port in the nutmeg shipping industry. Eventually, an agreement was reached wherein the Dutch gained control of Suriname by relinquishing certain territories, including the colony of New Amsterdam (New York). The Dutch took control in 1667, settling in the Paramaribo region and building Fort Zeelandia in what later became the central urban area.

Though the Dutch were forced to abandon Fort Zeelandia twice during the Napoleonic Wars, they maintained control over Suriname. The Dutch colonists established a thriving plantation society around their coastal fort. By the time slavery was outlawed in the Netherlands in 1863, over 180,000 African slaves were living in Suriname. This group gave rise to the Maroon population, which became one of the region's characteristic ethnic groups. In the late nineteenth century, thousands of immigrant workers from India and Java arrived in Suriname to work on plantations.

Over time, immigrant groups organized and began demanding independence. The Dutch gradually granted greater representation but were reluctant to forfeit the wealth and prosperity of the territory. The independence movement became more politicized after World War II, and the Dutch government was eventually urged to grant internal autonomy in 1954. Once local political groups formed and began to take control of the nation's internal affairs, the push for full independence grew stronger. Suriname was granted independence in 1975.

The economy suffered during the late 1970s due to a rapid influx of immigrants and insufficient employment opportunities. In 1980, the civilian government was overthrown in a military coup d'état that brought an authoritarian regime, led by Dési Bouterse, to power. Though the coup initially had popular support, the citizens soon turned against the military authority and rebel groups began to form. As foreign powers cut off aid to the nation, the economic situation deteriorated and the fighting intensified. The civilian government was restored in 1986, but was dissolved in 1990 in a bloodless coup that resulted in popular elections and a new government. Since that time, the government has remained intact. Bouterse returned to power in 2010 after being elected president by Suriname's parliament, and was reelected in 2015.

Significant progress has been made toward developing the nation's economy. The agricultural industry was largely supplanted by mining in the twentieth century. In the early twenty-first century, the government invested in diversifying Suriname's economy in an effort to strengthen it against market fluctuations. The potential of oil revenue could have a strong positive impact on the economy, which struggled in the late 2010s and was further hampered by the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Although Suriname is a South American country, it has close ties to the Caribbean nations and is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a group devoted to economic development and productivity.

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