Editing Suriname (section)

== Tourism ==
[[File:Amazon jungle from above.jpg|thumb|[[Central Suriname Nature Reserve]] seen from the Voltzberg]]

Most tourists visit Suriname for the [[biodiversity]] of the [[Amazon Basin|Amazonian]] rain forests in the south of the country, which are noted for their flora and fauna. The [[Central Suriname Nature Reserve]] is the biggest and one of the most popular reserves, along with the [[Brownsberg Nature Park]] which overlooks the [[Brokopondo Reservoir]],  one of the largest human-made lakes in the world. In 2008, the [[Berg en Dal (Suriname)|Berg en Dal Eco & Cultural Resort]] opened in Brokopondo.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rd.nl/kerk-religie/surinaamse-broedergemeente-stapt-in-ecotoerisme-1.604989|title=Surinaamse Broedergemeente stapt in ecotoerisme|website=[[Reformatorisch Dagblad]]|access-date=15 May 2020|language=nl}}</ref> [[Tonka Island]] in the reservoir is home to a rustic [[eco-tourism]] project run by the Saramaccaner Maroons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tonka-eiland.com/kennis.php|title=Tonka-eiland Saramaccaans kennis-centrum en Eco-toeristisch paradijs|year=2009|publisher=Tonka-Eiland|access-date=2 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208082657/http://www.tonka-eiland.com/kennis.php|archive-date=8 February 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Pangi (Maroon)|Pangi]] wraps and bowls made of calabashes are the two main products manufactured for tourists. The Maroons have learned that colorful and ornate pangis are popular with tourists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geography2.ruhosting.nl/masterthesis/scripties/BrounsRachelle.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117135408/http://geography2.ruhosting.nl/masterthesis/scripties/BrounsRachelle.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-01-17|title=People in the beating heart of the Amazon|first=Rachelle|last=Brouns|publisher=Radboud university Nijmegen|date=February 2011|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref> Other popular decorative souvenirs are hand-carved purple-hardwood made into bowls, plates, canes, wooden boxes, and wall decors.
[[File:Jodensavanne.jpg|thumb|The remains of the synagogue on the [[Jodensavanne]]]]
There are also many waterfalls throughout the country. Raleighvallen, or [[Raleighfalls|Raleigh Falls]], is a {{convert|56000|ha|acre|adj=on}} nature reserve on the [[Coppename River]], rich in bird life. Also are the [[Blanche Marie Falls]] on the [[Nickerie River]] and the [[Wonotobo Falls]]. [[Tafelberg, Suriname|Tafelberg Mountain]] in the centre of the country is surrounded by its own reserve – the [[Tafelberg Nature Reserve]] – around the source of the [[Saramacca River]], as is the Voltzberg Nature Reserve further north on the Coppename River at Raleighvallen. In the interior are many [[Maroon (people)|Maroon]] and [[Amerindian]] villages, many of which have their own reserves that are generally open to visitors.

Suriname is one of the few countries in the world where at least one of each [[biome]] that the state possesses has been declared a wildlife reserve. Around 30% of the total land area of Suriname is protected by law as reserves.
[[File:Fort Zeelandia 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Zeelandia (Paramaribo)|Fort Zeelandia]] in Paramaribo]]
Other attractions include plantations such as [[Laarwijk]], which is situated along the Suriname River. This plantation can be reached only by boat via Domburg, in the north central [[Wanica District]] of Suriname.

Crime rates continue to rise in Paramaribo and armed robberies are not uncommon. According to the current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of the 2018 report's publication, Suriname has been assessed as Level 1: exercise normal precautions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=23564|title=OSAC|year=2018|website=osac.gov}}</ref>

===Landmarks===
[[File:Kathedraal 1.jpg|thumb|The [[Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Paramaribo|Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul]] in Paramaribo]]
The [[Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge]] is a bridge over the river Suriname between Paramaribo and Meerzorg in the [[Commewijne District|Commewijne district]]. The bridge was built during the tenure of President [[Jules Albert Wijdenbosch]] (1996–2000) and was completed in 2000. The bridge is {{convert|52|m|ft}} high, and {{convert|1504|m|ft}} long. It connects Paramaribo with Commewijne, a connection which previously could only be made by ferry. The purpose of the bridge was to facilitate and promote the development of the eastern part of Suriname. The bridge consists of two lanes (one lane each way).

The construction of the [[Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Paramaribo|Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral]] started on 13 January 1883. Before it became a cathedral it was a theatre. The theatre was built in 1809 and burned down in 1820.

Suriname is one of the few countries in the world where [[Neveh Shalom Synagogue|a synagogue]] is located next to [[Mosque Keizerstraat|a mosque]].<ref>[https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/187112/way-south-of-the-border Down Suriname Way, a Tiny Community of Jews Endures], ''[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]]'', 8 December 2014</ref>
The two buildings are located next to each other in the centre of Paramaribo and have been known to share a parking facility during their respective religious rites, should they happen to coincide with one another.

A relatively new landmark is the Hindu [[Arya Diwaker]] temple in the Johan Adolf Pengelstraat in [[Wanica]], Paramaribo, which was inaugurated in 2001. A special characteristic of the temple is that it does not have images of the Hindu divinities, as they are forbidden in the [[Arya Samaj]], the Hindu movement to which the people who built the temple belong. Instead, the building is covered by many texts derived from the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures. The architecture makes the temple a tourist attraction.