Brokopondo

Brokopondo
District capital
Brokopondo Location in Suriname
Coordinates: 5°4′N 54°58′W
Country	Suriname
District	Brokopondo District
Resort	Centrum
Elevation	72 m (236 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	est. 2,480

Brokopondo is the capital town of the Brokopondo District, Suriname.[2] It is located on the west shore of the Suriname river, just north of the Afobaka dam, 105 kilometers (65 miles) south-east of Suriname capital city of Paramaribo. Brokopondo can be reached via the Avobakaweg from Paranam to Afobaka.[1]

Nearby is a granite monument made by sculptor Jo Rens, displaying two men: one standing with a parrot and one sitting and writing. It is meant to symbolize the past and the future. There is also a large beach next to the Suriname river near the city centre.[3] Demographically, the largest ethnic group of Brokopondo are the Maroons.[4]

The Brokopondo Development Plan has designated the town of Brokopondo as one of the two major centres in the region - the other being Brownsweg - with a focus on tourism.[1] There is a large beach next to the Suriname river near the city centre called Anani Beach.[5] Additional developments will be a proper city centre, a bus station, a large hotel with at least 200 beds, and a centre for cultural studies.[1]

Brokopondo is home to a Medische Zending healthcare centre,[6] hotel, school, and police station.[3] In 2014, multi functional centre was opened.[7] On 10 January 2020, a waste incinerator was installed.[8]

A growing concern is the activity of gold prospectors who not only poison the rivers with mercury, but are digging away the edge of the town.[9]

References

1. "REGIONAAL PLAN BROKOPONDO" (PDF). Planning Office Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
2. "Distrikt Brokopondo 1". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
3. "Distrikt Brokonpondo 2". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
4. "2012 Census Resorts Suriname" (PDF). Spang Staging. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
5. "Anani Strand". Trip Advisor (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
6. "Zorggebied". Medische Zending.sr (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
7. "Brokopondo is het zevende gedecentraliseerd district". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
8. "Brokopondo Centrum voorzien van vuilverbrandingsoven". De Boodschap.today (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
9. "Goudwinning in Zuid Suriname vreet aan Brokopondo Centrum". Waterkant.net (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2020.

External links