Nickerie

Nieuw Nickerie is the capital of Suriname's western Nickerie District and sits beside the Nickerie River near the Atlantic coast, not far from the Guyana border. Known as the rice capital of the country, the town anchors a flat landscape of polders, canals and vast paddy fields that shape daily life and the regional economy.

The town was founded in 1879 after the earlier district centre, Nieuw Rotterdam, was destroyed by coastal flooding. Its planned street grid, protected polders and the 1940s sea dike, known locally as the Zeedijk, reflect a long history of water management and remain visible along the waterfront.

Nieuw Nickerie has a multicultural character shaped by East Indian, Javanese, Afro-Surinamese, Chinese and Portuguese communities. A Hindu temple on the Zeedijk looks out toward the Corantijn River and Guyana, while the central market, churches and mosques add to the town's varied everyday life.

The main natural attraction is Bigi Pan, a wetland reserve reached from the town where boat tours offer close views of scarlet ibis, herons and migratory shorebirds. Rice mills, the nearby settlement of Wageningen and the South Drain crossing to Guyana give visitors a fuller picture of the district's agriculture and border trade.

As the terminus of the East-West Link, Nieuw Nickerie is a practical regional base for nature tourism, agriculture-related visits and cross-border travel between Suriname and Guyana.