Galibi is a

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

, located in the

Marowijne District Marowijne is a district of Suriname, located on the north-east coast. Marowijne's capital city is Albina, with other towns including Moengo and Wanhatti. The district borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, the Suri ...

. Its population at the 2012 census was 741. Galibi is a

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

area inhabited by an

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

population of

Kalina Kalina may refer to: People * Kalina people, or Caribs, an indigenous people of the northern coastal areas of South America * Kalina language, or Carib, the language of the Kalina people * Kalina (given name) * Kalina (surname) * Noah Kalina, Ame ...

Amerindians. The town of Alusiaka used to be located near the banks of the

Marowijne River The Maroni or Marowijne (french: link=no, Maroni, nl, Marowijne, Sranan Tongo: ''Marwina-Liba'') is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forest ...

. The

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

was given 500

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s to grow

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

s; but, because of their mistreatment of the workers, the town was abandoned. In 1871 a 60-metre

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

was built near the entrance of the Marowijne; it was operated until 2012.

Christiaankondre

The village of Christiaankondre is located along the estuary of the

. Together with neighbouring Langamankondre, it is often referred to as Galibi. The village has been named after Christiaan Pané whose father founded the village in the late 17th century. The economy is based on fishing,

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

, and tourism. The village has a school, a clinic, and a little zoo. Corneliskondre is the larger of the two settlements. The village chief as of 2020 is Richardo Pané.

Langamankondre

Langamankondre is located next to Christiaankondre. The name is a mix of Dutch and

Sranan Tongo Sranan Tongo (also Sranantongo "Surinamese tongue," Sranan, Surinaams, Surinamese, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language that is spoken as a ''lingua franca'' by approximately 550,000 people in Suriname. Developed originally amo ...

and means "Long man's village" because the chief was very tall. In 2016, Selowin Alamijawari was elected village chief.

Galibi Nature Reserve

The main attraction is the Galibi Nature Reserve. There is a beach at the mouth of the Marowijne River on the Atlantic Ocean. This section also has a small zoo and tourist shop. Tourists come to Galibi largely to see the

Leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...

. Its females migrate here from all over the world (including places as distant as

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, to lay their eggs in Suriname. Almost half of the known population of leatherback turtles, lay their eggs in this area. Other turtles that frequent the beach are the

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

, the

Olive ridley sea turtle The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in th ...

, and the

Hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is largel ...

The area can only visited under strict supervision between February and June.

Wia Wia Nature Reserve

Founded in 1961, the Wia Wia Nature Reserve is located to the west of the Galibi Nature Reserve. It was also intended for the protection of the turtles; however, the focus has shifted to

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

species, because the beach has shifted to the west. The Wia Wia Nature Reserve spans an area of 36,000 hectares.

Transport

Galibi has a small boat (''korjaal'') connection to Albina. The journey across the water takes about 1.5 hrs, and boats land near the villages of Christiaankondre and Langamankondre. There is a road connection to some parts of the resort Galibi, but not to the two main villages near the nature reserve. The residents believed that a road would have disturbed their peace and quiet.

Notable people

Sylvia Kajoeramari Sylvia Kajoeramari is a Surinamese politician. She was a member of the National Assembly (Suriname), National Assembly from 2005 to 2010, representing Marowijne District for the Pertjajah Luhur (PL) party. Biography Kajoeramari is from the v ...

, politician.

Sister cities

Koksijde Koksijde (; french: Coxyde ; vls, Koksyde) is a town and a municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the villages of O ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

References

External links

{{Surinamese District Marowijne Beaches of Suriname Populated coastal places in Suriname Populated places in Marowijne District Resorts of Suriname