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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.
[edit] HistoryThe 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. [edit] GeographyThe city is located on the Suriname River, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, in the Paramaribo district. [edit] Demographics
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). [edit] EconomyThe city's major exports are gold, bauxite, sugar cane, rice, cacao, coffee, rum, and tropical woods. Cement and paint are manufactured in the city. [edit] TransportParamaribo is served by the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport and Zorg en Hoop Airport for local flights. [edit] CultureOn Sundays and holidays there is a popular bird song competition. Suriname has only one cinema, which is located in the capital. [edit] Notable landmarks[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[edit] External links
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