Moengo

Moengo on the map of Suriname

Moengo (pronounced mung ) is a district in the north -east of Suriname, in the district Marowijne. It lies on the Cottica and has about 7300 inhabitants ( 2004).

The small town was founded in the early 20th century, after the Surinaamsche Bauxiet Maatschapij, today's Suriname Aluminum Company ( Suralco ), subsidiaries of the Aluminum Company of America ( Alcoa), discovered in the area bauxite and get 1919 a concession for bauxite production ( mining ) had.

Initially Moengo was only accessible by water. In order to facilitate the removal of bauxite earth in the United States, the Cottica for seagoing vessels was made passable and built a port facility in Moengo. During the Second World War, the military transports were escorted by American soldiers. The raw material was at this time for the aircraft industry in America is of particular importance.

Since 1955 Moengo has an airstrip (code: MOJ ), and as of 1964 the city by road from Paramaribo is reachable, which is also the border town of Albina opens up as so-called East-West connection. The construction of the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge (2000 ), the first bridge over the Suriname in the capital, the trip from and to Eastern Suriname for a large part of the population was much easier.

During the Civil War 1986-1992 Moengo was in the combat zone between the military until 1991 under the commander Desi Bouterse and the so-called " jungle command" Ronnie Brunswijk. In this time of bauxite mining was stopped.

For several years the bauxite layers are exhausted, and the mining has been shifted to the Coermotibo mines. The ore is transported from there by barge on the Cottica and Commewijne after Paranam on Suriname and there in the aluminum factory to the intermediate aluminum oxide ( Al2O3) processed (alumina).