Para District, Mining and forestry district in northern Suriname.
Para District spans across northern Suriname, featuring dense rainforest in some areas, open savanna in others, and numerous rivers and streams running through the landscape. The land is predominantly green and water-rich, with waterways serving as natural connectors between scattered settlements.
European settlers arrived in the 1600s and built sugar and tobacco plantations, particularly along the rivers. The region later developed into a significant center for mining and timber extraction.
Indigenous Carib and Arawak communities have inhabited this region for centuries, and their settlements and daily practices remain integral to local life today. Visitors can see how traditional customs coexist with modern economic activities throughout the area.
The main road Indira Gandhiweg connects the district capital Onverwacht to Paramaribo with regular bus services operating between them. Travel times can be long, and services become more limited the further from major towns you venture.
The remains of Jodensavanne, a Jewish settlement from the 1600s, survive in the district and once served as a prison camp during the 1940s war years. This remote historical site is difficult to reach today, connecting two very different chapters of the region's past.
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