Eilerts de Haan Mountains

The Eilert de Haan Mountains are a running from the border with Brazil to the north discontinuous mountain chain in Suriname, in the district Sipaliwini.

It is the southern part of the Wilhelmi Stevenage promontory. The Eilert de Haan Mountains in the south reaches a maximum height of 884 m, which decreases slowly toward the north and decreases to less than 500 m at the headwaters of Awalapakreek. In the further course assumes regain altitude to 800 m, then decreases again and reaches its highest peak in the north with 986 m. The mountain or mountain range has various offshoots up higher than 500 m.

Research

The first scientific studies of the area have been made by the expedition of Eilert de Haan 1908, the Corantijn expedition of Eilert de Haan and Kayser 1910 to 1911 and the Wilhelmi Stevenage Birge expedition Stahel and Ijzerman 1926. In the sixties and seventies of the 19th century, especially the Centraal Bureau Lucht card ring (Central Office for aerial mapping ) and the Geologic Mijnbouwkundige service were responsible ( Geological- bergbaukundlicher service) for the study.

The mountain is named after the lieutenant and cartographer Johan Eilert de Haan, who died as a participant in the Corantijn Expedition 1910 from malaria and is buried at the foot of the mountain range later named after him.

In February 2000, a descendant of Johan de Haan Eilters again undertook an expedition to the area to visit the grave. The expedition through the Gran Rio was successful and was processed on film by the TV channel National Geographic.

Nature Reserve

The area belongs since 1966 to the largest natural reserves of Suriname with around 220,000 hectares borders form the Zuidrivier ( South River ) and the Lucierivier. The Lucierivier detected by Eilert de Haan 1908 first mapped and named after his godson. Since 1998, the protected area with further reserves part of the 1.6 million ha or 16,000 km ² Central Suriname Nature Reserve.