Nickerie District
Template:Short description Template:Infobox settlement Nickerie is a predominantly rural district of Suriname located on the north-west coast. Nickerie's capital city is Nieuw-Nickerie. The district borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Coronie to the east, Sipaliwini to the south and East Berbice-Corentyne in Guyana to the west.<ref name="distrikt_nickerie1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Nickerie has a population of 36.639 (2004) and an area of 5,353 km2.<ref name="census"/> Nickerie's population includes East Indian, Javanese, Afro-Surinamese, Chinese, and Europeans.<ref name="census"/>
Nickerie is bordered by Guyana. A ferry connects Moleson Creek in Guyana and South Drain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Originally settled by Amerindians, Nickerie has an ancient 1st century BC settlement near the Wonotobo Falls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Between the 6th and 16th century, terpen (artificial mounds) were built near Hertenrits. In 1613, a tobacco plantation was established on the Courantyne River but was later abandoned.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1718, Dietzel became the first person to successfully settle in the area. In 1797, governor Jurriaan François de Friderici approved the first plantation in Nickerie. A large number of Scottish and English settlers arrived in the area during the British Occupation,<ref name="about">Template:Cite web</ref> and primarily grew cotton and coffee.<ref name="distrikt_nickerie1"/> The capital Nieuw Nickerie was built in 1879 after the former center of the district, Nieuw Rotterdam, was destroyed by floods.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The name Nickerie is probably based on Neekeari which was first reported by Teenstra in 1596 for an indigenous tribe living the area.<ref name="encycl-1916">Template:Cite web</ref> The name also appears in Robert Dudley's The Voyage of Robert Dudley to the West-Indies, 1594-1595.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 1960s, the construction of the East-West Link linked Nickerie with the rest of the country.<ref name="about"/>
Resorts
Villages
Agriculture
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During the 19th century, Nickerie became home to many plantations. The abolition of slavery transformed the area in smaller scale farming. In the late 19 century, many plantations shifted to balatá production whose latex was used for driving belts and isolation, but started to become obsolete in the early 20th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1955, a project of poldering started, resulting in an increase of cultivatable land.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bananas and rice are the main crops grown in Nickerie. Some rice had been grown previously, but during the 20th century, Nickerie became the centre of the rice in Suriname,<ref name="distrikt_nickerie1"/> mainly due to the East Indian and Javanese indentured laborers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tourism
Nieuw Nickerie is starting to develop as a tourist area. There are numerous hotels in the city, and the nearby Bigi Pan Nature Reserve opened opportunities for ecotourism.<ref name="planning">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1972, the Hertenrits Nature Reserve was founded.<ref name="planning"/> In the reserve there are five terpen (artificial mounts). They were located in the middle of the swamp, and remains from the pre-Columbian era had been discovered in the mounts. Hertenrits has been incorporated into the Bigi Pan reserve.<ref name="bigi_pan">Template:Cite web</ref>
References
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External links
Template:Resorts of Suriname Template:Surinamese District Nickerie