Albina is a town in eastern

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

, and is capital of 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 S ...

. The town lies on the west bank of the

Marowijne river The Maroni () or Marowijne (; ) is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms ...

(Maroni river), which forms the border with

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

, directly opposite the French Guianan town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, to which it is connected by a frequent

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

service. Albina can be reached by bus via the East-West Link. The distance between Paramaribo and Albina is about .

History

Albina was founded on 13 December 1846 by August Kappler, and was named after his wife Albina Josefine Liezenmaier (1815-1904). Kappler had left

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and journeyed to Suriname. He noticed an abandoned indigenous village near the Maroni river. Later he met friendly indigenous and

Maroon Maroon ( , ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, inc ...

people nearby, and decided to settle in the village after having received permission. By 1913, there was a little town with a medical clinic, and Albina was home to 349 men and 266 women. On 22 July 1986, the Surinamese Interior War started. That night, the Jungle Commando, led by Ronnie Brunswijk, opened fire on the army barracks in Albina. The fighting lasted three hours. One soldier and two civilians were wounded. The National Army responded by destroying the temple in Moengotapoe, and capturing all males present. During the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

(1986–1992) which followed, great parts of the area, including much of the town of Albina, and the road, were destroyed. It also caused a refugee crisis into

. The birthplace of Ronnie Brunswijk is the village of Moiwana Moiwana was the scene of the Moiwana massacre where 35 people, mostly women and children were killed by the National Army. On 24–25 December 2009, the Albina riots took place, when local Maroon inhabitants attacked

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian, Chinese,

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n and

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

gold prospectors after a man was allegedly stabbed to death by a Brazilian. The riots caused one death, and at least 24 wounded.

Transportation

Plans have been made to build a bridge between Suriname and French Guiana, however as of May 2020, no action has been taken. The town has a small airport, the

Albina Airstrip Albina Airstrip is an airport serving Albina, Suriname, Albina, the capital (political), capital of the Marowijne District of Suriname. It is one of the oldest airports in Suriname, in use since 1953, when the Piper Cub (PZ-NAC) of Kappel-van Eyc ...

, with a asphalt runway in use since 1953. Albina has a small boat (korjaal) connection to

Galibi The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages o ...

. The journey across the water takes about 1.5 hrs. There is a beach and a small tourist shop. The main reason tourists visit Galibi is to see the turtles, which come from all over the world (including places as distant as

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

) to lay their eggs in Suriname.

Notable people

* Ronnie Brunswijk (1961), Vice President of Suriname, ex-rebel leader and business man. * Henk Chin A Sen (1934-1999), former President of Suriname. * Olton van Genderen (1921-1990), Deputy Prime Minister. * Oscar Harris (1934), musician.

Villages

* Alfonsdorp and Marijkedorp are indigenous

Lokono The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Guyana, with smaller numbers in Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinida ...

villages. * Bigiston is a group of Ndyuka Maroons and indigenous Kalina villages. * Moiwana is a Ndyuka village where the took place.

Sister cities

Koksijde Koksijde (; ; ) is a town and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flanders, Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the v ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Resorts of Suriname French Guiana–Suriname border crossings Populated places in Marowijne District Populated places established in 1846 1846 establishments in South America