Nieuw Amsterdam (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌniʋɑmstərˈdɑm] or [ˌniuʔɑms-]) is the capital of the Commewijne District in Suriname. It is a small coastal town situated at the confluence of the Suriname River and Commewijne River, just across from Paramaribo, the country's capital. Its population at the 2012 census was 5,650,[1] with around 1,200 people living in the main town, most of whom are of Javanese and East Indian origin.[2] It is the location of the historical Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam, today an open-air museum. The town of Mariënburg with former sugarcane factory is located 3 km from Nieuw Amsterdam and part of the resort.[3]

Nieuw Amsterdam
Resort and town
Map showing the resorts of Commewijne District.   Nieuw Amsterdam
Coordinates: 5°52′51″N 55°05′04″W
Country	Suriname
District	Commewijne District
Area
• Total	48 km2 (19 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2012 census)
• Total	5,650
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (AST)
Climate	Af

History

In 1734, the Society of Suriname decided to build a fort near the confluence of the Commewijne and Suriname River to defend the Colony of Suriname and the capital Paramaribo.[4] On 8 October 1834, Nieuw-Amsterdam became the capital of the newly formed District of Upper Commewijne.[5] Between 1843 and 1854, Nieuw Amsterdam was designated as the location where incoming ships had to quarantine.[6] In 1872, part of the fort was converted to a jail, and would remain the only jail in Suriname until 1967.[4] In 1873 the local population started a program of independent agriculture which was encouraged by governor van Sypesteyn who designated Nieuw Amsterdam and Domburg as suitable locations.[7] On 17 January 1888, a decision was taken to lay the first telephone line between Nieuw-Amsterdam and Paramaribo with branches to redoubts Leiden and Frederiksdorp, and to operate the network from Nieuw-Amsterdam, because it was expected to mainly for military purposes.[8]

With the completion of the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge on 20 May 2000, the East-West Link was further expanded to Commewijne and Marowijne.[9] There is also ferry service from Leonsberg in Paramaribo.[10]

Notable people

• Ramsewak Shankar (1937), former President of Suriname[11]

Gallery

References

External links

• Media related to Nieuw-Amsterdam, Suriname at Wikimedia Commons

На других языках

[ru] Ньив-Амстердам