"Paramaribo" a Paramaribo Travel Page by grets

Paramaribo, the capital of Surinam and its largest city, is known as the wooden city of the Caribbean. Some of the buildings were destroyed by fires in 1821 and 1832, but many white-painted colonial buildings remain. The inner city has been placed on the UNESCO “World Heritage” list of historical monuments since 2002, and the buildings are slowly being restored to their former glory. Around 250,000 people live in Paramaribo, which is located on the Surinam River, ca 10m inland from the Atlantic Ocean. In 1630 the area was settled by the British and became the capital of the British colony in 1650. In 1667 it was ceded to Dutch colonial rule. The current inhabitants and mainly of Asian, African, indigenous or Dutch descent. The name Paramaribo is derived from 'Paramurubo,' the name of an old Arrawak village, which means 'city of parwa blossoms.