Nieuw Rotterdam was the capital of the

Nickerie District 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 District, Sipaliwini to the so ...

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

, built on the right bank of the

Nickerie River The Nickerie River is a river in the northwestern part of Suriname. The river originates in the Bakhuis Mountains and then flows to the North where it forms part of the border between the Coronie and Nickerie districts. The river then turns W ...

. Around 1875, this town got flooded by the sea. In 1879, on the left bank of the Nickerie River, the current capital

Nieuw Nickerie Nieuw Nickerie. Retrieved 17 November 2009. is the third largest city in Suriname with a population estimated at . It is the capital (political), capital city of the Nickerie District, Nickerie district, and the terminus of the East-West Link (Sur ...

was built, and Nieuw Rotterdam was formally abolished as a town a century later on 8 August 1979. The settlement was built around 1820, and peaked in the 1860s. The town laid on the right bank of the mouth of the river Nickerie, on a narrow strip of land between the river and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

at a point called Cordonspunt. The town was largely populated by traders who trade proficient with the neighboring

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

, and was called "Eldorado of the smugglers". Nieuw Rotterdam was built in two perpendicular streets, including the Kerkstraat, which ran from south to north and ended with the tower of the church. The council also had several houses, a fortified military post and barracks. The first storm came in 1866, and in 1875 there was another, which marks the end of Nieuw Rotterdam.Distrikt Nickerie info 2
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References

Former populated places in Suriname Nickerie District Submerged places {{Suriname-geo-stub