Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km<sup>2</sup>.
History
The northern part of Para is one of the oldest cultivated areas of Suriname, and has been home to sugar and tobacco plantation since the 17th century The southern part of the district contained wood plantations, In 1968, the District was established, and named after the Para Creek. In 1983, the District was quadrupled in size. The railway line was decommissioned in 1986.
During World War II American troops were stationed in Suriname. The existing airport at Zorg en Hoop was insufficient, and the airstrip at Zanderij, was upgraded to a major airport. In 1936, a road, currently named Indira Gandhiweg, had been built parallel to the railway line to connect Paramaribo with Onverwacht, which was extended to the airport.
The ruins of the city of Jodensavanne are in Para district. Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition established Jodensavanne in the 17th century, but it was destroyed in 1832 by a fire. Jodensavanne was an internment camp for suspected Nazi supporters from the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War.
Para is home to several indigenous villages from the Carib and Arawak tribes.
Economy
The main part of the economy is the bauxite mining.
See also
- Coropina Kreek
References
Gallery
<gallery>
Suriname savannah (33153939030).jpg|Savannah near Powakka
Colakreek.jpg|Cola Creek
Gezicht op de synagoge en het kerkhof vanaf het Cordonpad gezien Gezigten uit Neerland's West-Indien (serietitel), RP-P-1909-1780.jpg|Jodensavanna ( 1860)
De fabriek van de Surinaamse Bauxiet Maatschappij te Paranam, Bestanddeelnr 252-6553.jpg|Bauxite factory in Paranam (1947)
PBM Airport (cropped).jpg|Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Cabendadorp1.jpg|Amerindian village of Cabendadorp
</gallery>