The street Waterkant in Paramaribo

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.

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.

Historic Inner City of Paramaribo

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.

Geography and Climate

The city 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, 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. Paramaribo, on average, sees roughly 86 inches (~2200 mm) of rain each year.

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.

Demographics, Culture and Economy

Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of the population of Suriname.

Helstone monument

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).

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

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

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.

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

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.

Notable Landmarks

The National Assembly of Suriname

• Suriname Mosque
• National Assembly of Suriname
• Neveh Shalom Synagogue
• Roman Catholic St Peter and St Paul Cathedral

Coats of arms of Suriname

On 25 November 1975 the independent Republic of Suriname adopted an official coat of arms.

The motto reads “Justitia — Pietas — Fides” (Justice – Piety – Fidelity).

It further consists of two natives who carry a shield. The left half of the shield symbolizes the past, as slaves were abducted via ship out of Africa.

The right half, the side of the present, shows a Royal Palm, and also the symbol of a just person —

“The just person should blossom like a palm.”

The diamond in the middle is the stylized form of the heart, which is regarded as the organ of love. The points of the diamond show the four directions of the wind.

Inside the diamond is a five-pointed star. This star symbolizes the five continents from which the inhabitants of Suriname migrated: Africa, America, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

National flag and ensign of Suriname

Presidential Standard of Suriname

The flag of Suriname is formed by five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width). There is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band.

The flag was adopted on November 25, 1975, upon the independence of Suriname.

The star represents the unity of all ethnic groups, the red stripe stands for progress and love, the green for hope and fertility, and the white bands for peace and justice.

Past Flags

Standard of the Prime Minister of Suriname from 1975-1988.

In 1988 the office of Prime Minister was abolished as the system of government was changed from Parliamentary Democracy to a Presidential Republic.

Pre-Independence

National Flag 1959-1975

Flag of the Governor of Dutch Guyana between 1966-1975

The pre-independence flag consisted of five colored stars connected by an ellipse.

The colored stars represented the major ethnic groups that comprise the Surinamese population: the original Amerindians, the colonizing Europeans, the Africans brought in as slaves to work in plantations and the Hindus, Javanese and Chinese who came as indentured workers to replace the Africans who escaped slavery and settled in the hinterland. The ellipse represented the harmonious relationship amongst the groups.

There was also a flag for use by the Governor, based on the national flag.