HISTORIE, TECHNIEKEN EN MAATSCHAPPELIJKE ...

SUMMARY
History
The history of surveying and mapping in Suriname is interwinded with the
colonial policy of -and the development of cartography in- the Netherlands.
From this point of view it makes sense to have this surveying and mapping
history be preceded by a synopsis of the colonial mapmaking in the East-
and West-Indies. (Chapter 1).
Until the middle of the 19th century interest was confined exclusively to
the coastal belt of Suriname but expanded to the hinterland when gold was
discovered in the upper reaches of the Marowijne-river in 1861.
Around the turn of our century seven scientific expeditions travelled up the
great rivers and assembled topographical, geological and ethnographical, as
well as botanical and zoological data.
Nevertheless the vast stretches of land between the main rivers and south
of the coastal area remained terra incognita until 1947, when photogram-
metry was applied in mapping the country.
It is the intention of this publication to give an insight into the mapmaking,
which underlies the disclosure of our country and the broadening of the
geographical knowledge of it.
In our opinion no material will serve better or more powerfully than the
many maps, which form the heritage of three centuries of hardy surveying.
Other resources from which we drew a great deal of our information are
the many protocols, reports and accounts concerning the map material, ex-
tant in the archives of the Office of Lands, the Central Bureau of Aerial
Surveying and the library of the Suriname Museum in Paramaribo.
In addition the standard work on the history of cartography in Suriname,
I1Links with the Past1' by C. Koeman et. al. was extensively consulted.
The infrastructural design of Suriname.
The Surinamese rivers provided the ways into the interior since times out
of mind. Also canals, which were dug by the slaves, were in use; while apart
from the so-called communications-dams only a few roads appeared on the
older maps of Suriname.
With the introduction of small farming in our country also a road-system
was initiated, while the gold-industry provided for the sole rail-road Suri-
name possesses.
The development of this infrastructure can be well traced on the maps of
Cateau van Rosevelt (1882), the topographical map-series (1920) and the
map of Bakhuis en de Quant (1930).
A spectacular opening up of the country by means of roads started in 1947
when the Welfare Fund programma came into being.
The so-called East-West communication-road and the forest-passage roads
were established reaching from the Corantijn-river (west-boundary) to the
Marowijne-river (east-boundary).
By means of seven airstrips built for the Grasshopper project (geological
and mining research programme) also the remote interior became
accessible.