Onverwacht, Suriname
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Onverwacht | |
|---|---|
District capital | |
 Building at the Onverwacht railway station | |
  Onverwacht The location of Onverwacht in Suriname | |
| Coordinates: 5°35′35″N 55°11′38″W / 5.59306°N 55.19389°W | |
| Country | Suriname |
| District | Para District |
| Resort | Noord |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
• Total | 2,223 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (ART) |
Onverwacht (Dutch for "unexpected".) [1] is the capital town of Para District, Suriname.[2]
Onverwacht started as a wood plantation with the same name and has existed as early as 1667.[3] On 18 May 1881, the plantation was sold to eight former slaves.[3] In 1910 the Lawa Railway passed through the area and a station was opened.[3] In 1936,[4] a road, currently named Indira Gandhiweg, was built parallel to the railway line to connect Paramaribo with Onverwacht. During World War II, the road was extended to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.[5] In 1968, Onverwacht became the capital of the newly formed Para District.[6] In 1987, the last train departed and the station at Onverwacht closed.[7]
