196
de uitvoe/ing van de kartografie en de daarvoor noodzakelijke terreinwerkzaamheden aan
dit bureau opgedragen. Aan de hand van het beschikbare foto- en kaartmateriaal wor
den door terzake deskundigen door middel van foto-interpretatie inventarisaties van de
natuurlijke hulpbronnen uitgevoerd en hieruit gedetailleerde bosbouwkundige, bodem-
en mijnbouwkundige kaarten samengesteld. Ook voor waterkrachtwerken worden tot nu
toe op het C.B.L. hoogtelijnenkaarten samengesteld.
J. B. Ch. WEKKER
SUMMARY
The Mapping of Surinam
The history of cartography in Surinam begins in 1671, when the Dutch surveyor Willem Mogge
drafted the first map of a part of Our country, showing the settled parts of the Suriname and
Commewijne rivers and some affluents. Topographical knowledge of the 'hinterland' was enlarged
through the military expeditions against escaped plantation negro slaves during the 18th Century.
In 1737 Alexander de Lavaux issued his map, indicating rivers and districts with the discoveries
made by the military expeditions, along with the areas of the surveyed plantations. In August 1744
the French astronomer de la Condamine visited Paramaribo and fixed the latitude of Paramaribo
at 5° 49'. The next map of Surinam was compiled by J. C. Henemann (fig. 1), assisted by 14
surveyors, from 1774-1784. Henemann also mentioned on his map two special Amerindian scales:
1 Arie Ly 1500 Rijnl. feet; 1 Liekie Poe 10 Arie Ly. In 1801 the map of Moseberg, which
may be regarded as an extension of Mogge's included the Saramacca river as well as the Suriname
and Commewijne rivers. For the first time the North direction is indicated, North being at the
bottom of the map. The plantations along the Saramacca and Nickerie rivers and in the coastal
zöne (Coronie) were surveyed between 1796-1802. Cateau van Rosevelt and van Landsberghe
issued, in 1882, an important map of Surinam scale 1 100 000 (fig. 2), which, with numerous
additions, remains the 'official map' of Surinam to this day. Rosevelt surveyed from 1861-
1879, with compass and estimated distances. He also determined latitude and Iongitude of
il points by means of astronomical observations. The area covered on this map extends from the
Atlantic Ocean to 3° 58'/N latitude; the Marowijne river, however, was mapped up to 2° N latitude.
Then W. L. Loth produced a map in 1899, scale 1 500 000 which may be considered a more
complete version of Rosevelt's.
From 1896-1911 nine scientific expeditions were sent up the main rivers in order to map
mountains, river-basins and watersheds. For the first time triangulation was applied.
To improve the cartographic and cadastral Situation in Surinam a special survey-brigade was
established in 1912. In 1920 this brigade issued several topographical maps of Paramaribo and sur-
roundings on a scale of 1 10 000, based on geographical coördinates (fixed by van Stockum)
and the polyeder projection.
The Iongitude of Paramaribo was established at 55° 12'4" 89 West of Greenwich (on some old
maps, e.g. Henemann's, Iongitude was taken east of Tenerife-island in the Canary group
Africa). In 1927 Captain Kremer, using more accurate instruments, found 55° 08'48" 69, while in
1947 KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) Aerocarto finally established the Iongitude at 55° 09' 10" 00.
In 1927 a synoptical map of Surinam scale 1 800 000 composed by F. Spirlet was issued. In 1930
a map (scale 1 200 000) was drafted by L. Bakhuys en W. de Quant. Bakhuys used the cor-
rected coördinates (Kremer) and the Mercator-projection.
No new activities in the field of cartography took place until 1945, the year in which the official
Standard time for Surinam was introduced, namely the mean time of the meridian of 52° 30' W.L.
or 3V2 hours earlier than G.M.T..
After the second world war the need for better maps became urgent in connection with the
inventory of Our natural resources. The conventional terrestrial surveying System had to be aban-
doned, as being too time- and money-consuming. Therefore in 1947 KLM Aerocarto carried
out a complete aerial survey of the northern part of Surinam up to the 4th degree N. latitude,
while the survey of the southern part followed in 1956. The photographs were taken on a scale
of 1 40 000 and 26 field control-points were fixed by astronomical methods.
With the aid of aerial triangulation or slotted templet method mosai'cs on a scale of 1 40 000
and 1 100 000 were prepared. Using these mosai'cs topographical and contour maps were drafted
on the same and on smaller scales, while in compiling the maps the Stereographic projection System
was applied.
Barometric observations on the astropoints and along the rivers provided reference heights for
the drawing of contour maps. Reference datum for these heights is a plane 1.50 m below mean sea
level known as Domeinkantoorpeil (leveling datum for the Bureau of Lands). Nowadays mean sea
