Official Name: | Paramaribo |
Settlement Type: | District |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Suriname |
Seat Type: | Capital |
Seat: | Paramaribo |
Area Total Km2: | 182 |
Population As Of: | 2012 census |
Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Population Total: | 240,924 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Utc Offset: | -3 |
Coordinates: | 5.8333°N -55.1667°W |
Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2017) |
Blank Info Sec1: | 0.752[2] |
Paramaribo is a district of Suriname, encompassing the capital city of Paramaribo and the surrounding area.
Paramaribo district has a population of 240,924, almost half the population of the entire country, and an area of 182 km2.[3]
The area was first colonised by the British in the 17th century with the construction of Fort Willoughby. This fort was later taken by the Netherlands and renamed Fort Zeelandia. The area, and the city of Paramaribo, switched between Dutch and British control until the Treaty of Breda at the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War ceded all of Suriname to the Dutch.[4]
Paramaribo is divided into 12 resorts (ressorten):[1]