UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Suriname
Suriname has 3 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (2 cultural and 1 natural), the first inscribed in 2000 (Central Suriname Nature Reserve). 1 site is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The map below plots every one of them alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 3
- Cultural
- 2
- Natural and Mixed
- 1
- First Inscribed
- 2000
Map of World Heritage Sites in Suriname
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Suriname. Click a dot to read about the site.
Central Suriname Nature Reserve
Suriname · 4.0000° N, 56.5000° W · 16,000 km²
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve (Dutch: Centraal Suriname Natuurreservaat (CSNR)) is a conservation unit in Suriname.
It preserves an area of tropical rainforest. The reserve is in pristine condition.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Central Suriname Nature Reserve (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Central Suriname Nature Reserve Is Listed
- (ix)
- An outstanding example of ongoing ecological and biological processes.
- (x)
- The most important natural habitats for conserving biodiversity.
More about Central Suriname Nature Reserve
UNESCO's Description
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve comprises 1.6 million ha of primary tropical forest of west-central Suriname. It protects the upper watershed of the Coppename River and the headwaters of the Lucie, Oost, Zuid, Saramaccz, and Gran Rio rivers and covers a range of topography and ecosystems of notable conservation value due to its pristine state. Its montane and lowland forests contain a high diversity of plant life with more than 5,000 vascular plant species collected to date. The Reserve's animals are typical of the region and include the jaguar, giant armadillo, giant river otter, tapir, sloths, eight species of primates and 400 bird species such as harpy eagle, Guiana cock-of-the-rock, and scarlet macaw.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve was created in 1998 by Conservation International and the government of Suriname from the fusion of three existing nature reserves: Ralleighvallen, Tafelberg and Eilerts de Haan gebergte. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its pristine tropical rainforest ecosystem.
The forest received material support from Microsoft co-founder Jeff Harbers.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Central Suriname Nature Reserve (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Key Facts
| Area | 16,000 km² |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q189934 (CC0).
Historic Inner City of Paramaribo
Suriname · 5.8260° N, 55.1539° W · 2 km from Paramaribo
Paramaribo is a former Dutch colonial town from the 17th and 18th centuries planted on the northern coast of tropical South America. The original and highly characteristic street plan of the historic centre remains intact. Its buildings illustrate the gradual fusion of Dutch architectural influence with traditional local techniques and materials.
Description from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Why Historic Inner City of Paramaribo Is Listed
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
Jodensavanne
Suriname · 5.4133° N, 54.9530° W · 53 km from Paramaribo
Jodensavanne (Dutch, "Jewish Savanna") was a Jewish plantation community in Suriname, South America, and was for a time the centre of Jewish life in the colony. It was established in the 1600s by Sephardi Jews and became more developed and wealthy after a group of Jews fleeing persecution in Brazil settled there in the 1660s. It was located in what is now Para District, about 50 km (31 mi) south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River. Sugarcane plantations were established by forcing Black African people to work as slaves. At its height in around 1700, Jodensavanne was home to roughly 500 plantation owners and 9000 enslaved people. The colony faced regular attacks from Indigenous people, slave revolts, and even raids from the French navy. The community eventually relocated to the capital of Paramaribo. Clearing of grave sites and maintenance of the synagogue ruins has been attempted at various times from the 1940s to the 21st century.
Jodensavanne along with the Cassipora Cemetery were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023 under the name Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Jodensavanne (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Jodensavanne Is Listed
- (iv)
- An outstanding example of a type of building or landscape.
- (vi)
- A direct association with events, ideas or beliefs of universal significance.
More about Jodensavanne
UNESCO's Description
Located on high ground on the densely forested banks of the Suriname River, the Jodensavanne Archaeological Site in northern Suriname is a serial property that illustrates early Jewish colonization attempts in the New World. The Jodensavanne Settlement, founded in the 1680s, includes the ruins of what is believed to be the earliest synagogue of architectural significance in the Americas, along with cemeteries, boat landing areas, and a military post. The Cassipora Creek Cemetery is the remnant of an older settlement founded in the 1650s. Located amidst Indigenous territory, the settlements were inhabited, owned, and governed by Jews who lived there together with free and enslaved persons of African and Indigenous descent. The settlements had the most extensive arrangement of privileges and immunities known in the early modern Jewish world.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
In 1639, the English, who controlled Suriname at the time, allowed Sephardi Jews from the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy to settle in the area. They came first to the old capital Torarica. On 8 April 1651, a petition was sent to the English Council of State by Benjamin de Caseras, Henry de Caseras, and Jacob Fraso for the permission to live and trade in the territories of Suriname and Barbados, marking a solid date for the origins of a Jewish community being established within the territory. In the year 1652, a new group of approximately twelve hundred that migrated under the leadership of Francis, Lord Willoughby settled in the area now known as Jodensavanne. A third group came 1664, after their expulsion from Brazil and then French Guiana, led by David Cohen Nassy.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Jodensavanne (CC BY-SA 4.0).
World Heritage in Suriname: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Suriname?
- Suriname has 3 World Heritage Sites: 2 cultural and 1 natural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Suriname?
- Central Suriname Nature Reserve, inscribed in 2000. The most recent is Jodensavanne, inscribed in 2023.
- What are the natural World Heritage Sites in Suriname?
- Central Suriname Nature Reserve.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Suriname in danger?
- Yes: Historic Inner City of Paramaribo is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.