Nieuw Nickerie
[. Retrieved 17 November 2009.] is the third largest city in
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 ...
with a population estimated at .
It is the
capital city of the
Nickerie district, and the terminus of the
East-West Link.
Nieuw Nickerie lies on the mouth of the
Nickerie river on the
Atlantic coast, opposite the mouth of the
Corantijn river (Courantyne) and the Guyanese town of
Corriverton (Springlands), to which a
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
service operates.
A bridge between Suriname and Guyana is still being planned.
Major Henk Fernandes Airport, also known as ''Nieuw Nickerie Airport'', is located near the city.
History
In 1718, Dietzel became the first known person to settle in the area. In 1797, governor
Jurriaan de Friderici
Jurriaan François de Friderici (7 December 1751 – 11 October 1812) was a Dutch military officer and plantation owner. He served as Governor of Suriname from 1790 until 1802. In the 1770s, he was involved in the Boni Wars. In 1799, Suriname wa ...
approved the first plantation in Nickerie. A large number of Scottish and English settlers arrived in the area during the British Occupation,
and primarily grew
cotton and
coffee.
Nieuw Nickerie was built in 1879 after the former center of the district,
Nieuw Rotterdam, was destroyed by floods. Nieuw Nickerie was originally planned on a
polder
A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are:
# Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed
# Flood plains s ...
created in 1869, but was moved further in land.
In 1940s a
sea dike
A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...
was built to protect the area.
The name Nickerie is probably based on ''Neekeari'' which was first reported by Teenstra in 1596 for an
indigenous tribe living the area.
The name also appears in
Robert Dudley Robert Dudley is the name of:
Surname
* Robert Dudley (actor) (1869–1955), American dentist and film character actor
*Robert Dudley (explorer) (1574–1649), illegitimate son of the 1st Earl of Leicester
*Robert Charles Dudley (1826–1909) wate ...
's ''The Voyage of Robert Dudley to the West-Indies, 1594-1595''.
Economy
The main industries are
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s and
rice. Nickerie is the largest rice producer of Suriname.
The town contains a market and several hotels, including the Hotel Ameerali, Hotel de President, Hotel Tropical, Hotel de Vesting and Residence Inn. The first Surinamese hospital outside of Paramaribo,
Mungra Medical Centre
Mungra Medical Centre (Dutch: ''Mungra Medisch Centrum'' or ''MMC'') is a hospital in Nieuw-Nickerie, Suriname. It was the first hospital in Suriname outside of Paramaribo.
History
On 31 March 1907, the government set up a commission to upgrade ...
, is located on the Annastraat in Nieuw-Nickerie.
Nickerie has a harbour, but the entrance depth is 3.7 metres and can carter to ships up to 6,000
tonnes. The harbour has been upgraded in 2012, but will be upgraded further.
Nieuw Nickerie is started to develop as a tourist area. There are quite a number of
hotels in the city, and the nearby
Bigi Pan Nature Reserve opened opportunities for
ecotourism.
Notable people
*
Clarence Breeveld
Clarence Breeveld (11 September 1948 – 6 April 2017) was a Surinamese-born Dutch singer, guitarist and educator.
Biography
Breeveld was born on 11 September 1948 in Nieuw-Nickerie, Suriname. His parents were ministers of the Moravian Church. ...
(1948-2017), singer and musician.
*
Ronald Hoop
Ronald Hoop (born April 4, 1967 in Nieuw-Nickerie, Suriname) is a former Dutch-Surinamese football player.
Career
After starting his career with amateur side BVC in De Bilt, Utrecht, Hoop spent his career playing with several clubs throughout Eu ...
(1967), football player.
*
Benito Kemble (1968), footballer.
*
Jagernath Lachmon (1916-2001), politician.
*
Ken Monkou
Kenneth John Monkou (born 29 November 1964) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer and pundit.
As a player, he was as a centre-back who notably played in the Premier League for both Chelsea F.C., Chelsea and Southampton ...
(1964), footballer.
*
Mellisa Santokhi-Seenacherry
Mellisa Santokhi-Seenacherry (née Seenacherry; Sarnami: मेलिसा संतोखी-सनिचारी; ; born 27 October 1980) is a Surinamese lawyer, and is currently also the First Lady of Suriname after she became the wife of ...
(1980), lawyer and
First Lady of Suriname
The First Lady of the Republic of Suriname, commonly known as the First Lady of Suriname (), is married to the President of Suriname.
List of first ladies
References
See also
* List of spouses of heads of state
* President_of_Surin ...
*
Ramkisoen Dewdat Oedayrajsing Varma (1907–1968), politician and Hindu priest.
*
Ulrich Wilson (1964), football player.
Climate
Nieuw Nickerie has a borderline
tropical rainforest climate (
Köppen ''Af'') just short of being a
tropical monsoon climate (''Am''). A distinctly drier period occurs from September to November, whilst May to July are the wettest months, although the weather is persistently uncomfortable, hot and humid throughout the year.
References
External links
Nickerie.net
{{Authority control
1879 establishments in South America
Guyana–Suriname border crossings
Populated coastal places in Suriname
Populated places established in 1879
Populated places in Nickerie District
Ports and harbours in Suriname
Resorts of Suriname