Wanica is a district of

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 nor ...

located in the north of the country. Wanica's

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

Lelydorp Lelydorp is the capital city of Wanica District, located in Suriname. With a population of 18,663 (2012), it is the second largest city in Suriname, after Paramaribo. History Pad van Wanica For centuries the Pad van Wanica (path of Wanica) ha ...

, the second-largest city in Suriname. Wanica has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 118,222 and an

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an op ...

of 443 km². Following neighbouring

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's po ...

, Wanica is the second most populated and urbanised district of Suriname. Two-thirds of the country's population live in these two districts.

History

The district was created in 1983 out of parts of the former Suriname District. The district was named Wanica after Pad van Wanica, the main road, Wanica Creek (present in the district), and the fact that the name had already been used on old maps. The discovery of gold in

Brokopondo Brokopondo is the capital town of the Brokopondo District, Suriname. It is located on the west shore of the Suriname river, just north of the Afobaka dam. Brokopondo can be reached via the Afobakaweg from Paranam to Afobaka. Nearby is a granite m ...

and Sipaliwini lead to the construction of the

Lawa Railway The Lawa Railway ( Dutch: ''Lawaspoorweg'' or later ''Landsspoorweg'') was a single-track metre gauge railway in Suriname. It was built during the gold rush in the early 20th century, from the harbour town Paramaribo to Dam at the Sara Creek, ...

and growth of the villages next to the railway line, and especially Kofi Djompo. The railway line was decommissioned in 1986.Armand Snijders
De flop van Lely.
Parbode, Surinames Magazine, 1 April 2008. The district's capital, originally called ''Kofi Djompo'', was renamed in 1905 for

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Cornelis Lely Cornelis Lely (; 23 September 1854 – 22 January 1929) was a Dutch politician of the Liberal Union (LU) and civil engineer. He oversaw the passage of an act of parliament authorising construction of the Zuiderzee Works, a huge project – des ...

, who was responsible for many large

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

projects in the Netherlands and was also governor of Suriname.

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

nese immigration and the closeness to

, have resulted in a partially suburban, and still partially agricultural district. The beginning of the 21st century have seen many building projects in the district.

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

used to be the main crops grown in Wanica, but the late 20th century saw a shift towards

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

Fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

and vegetables are of lesser significance. Trade and businesses have increased, and are mainly located around Lelydorp. Lelydorp needs a clear city structure and has many agricultural areas close to the centre and neighbourhoods.

Resorts

Wanica is divided into 7 resorts (''ressorten''): * De Nieuwe Grond *

Domburg Domburg is a seaside resort on the North Sea, on the northwest coast of Walcheren in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Middelburg, the provincial capital ...

Houttuin Houttuin is a resort in Suriname, located in the Wanica District. Its population at the 2012 census was 15,656. The largest ethnic group are the Indo-Surinamese. The resort is named after the sugar plantation Houttuyn which was founded in 1737. ...

* Koewarasan *

Kwatta Kwatta is a resort in Suriname, located in the Wanica District. Its population at the 2012 census was 14,151. Kwatta is named after a former cocoa plantation located here. It used to be an agriculture area, but due to its close proximity of Para ...

* Saramacca Polder

Villages

Santigron Santigron is a Maroon village in Lelydorp, Suriname. The village of Santigron is along the Saramacca River not far from Paramaribo. It is one of Suriname's Maroon villages, where descendants of 18th Century run-away slaves live. Unlike in Brazil or ...

References

External links

{{Coord, 5, 47, 48, N, 55, 15, 50, W, region:SR_type:adm1st, display=title Districts of Suriname