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The Brokopondo Reservoir is officially designated as the Suriname River Lake.
Answer: False
Explanation: The official designation for the Brokopondo Reservoir is the Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. van Blommestein Meer; Suriname River Lake is an alternative name.
The Brokopondo Reservoir is situated within the continent of South America.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir is located in Suriname, a nation situated on the northeastern coast of South America.
The Suriname River serves as both the primary inflow and outflow for the Brokopondo Reservoir.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Suriname River is integral to the reservoir's function, acting as the principal channel for both water entering and exiting the reservoir.
The surface area of the Brokopondo Reservoir is approximately 1,560 square miles.
Answer: False
Explanation: The reservoir's surface area is approximately 1,560 square kilometers, which equates to about 600 square miles, not 1,560 square miles.
The Brokopondo Reservoir covers less than 0.1% of Suriname's total land area.
Answer: False
Explanation: The reservoir covers nearly one percent of Suriname's total land area, which is significantly more than 0.1%.
The catchment area feeding the Brokopondo Reservoir is smaller than its surface area.
Answer: False
Explanation: The catchment area, spanning 12,200 square kilometers, is substantially larger than the reservoir's surface area of approximately 1,560 square kilometers.
The Brokopondo Reservoir holds an estimated volume of 20 million cubic meters of water.
Answer: False
Explanation: The estimated water volume stored in the Brokopondo Reservoir is 20 billion cubic meters, not 20 million cubic meters.
What is the official name of the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. van Blommestein Meer
Explanation: The reservoir is officially named Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. van Blommestein Meer, honoring the Dutch hydrological engineer Willem Johan van Blommestein.
Which river is central to the Brokopondo Reservoir's existence, serving as both its primary inflow and outflow?
Answer: The Suriname River
Explanation: The Suriname River is the principal river that feeds into and drains from the Brokopondo Reservoir.
What was the approximate surface area of the Brokopondo Reservoir, expressed in square kilometers?
Answer: 1,560 sq km
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir covers an approximate surface area of 1,560 square kilometers.
What was the estimated volume of water stored within the Brokopondo Reservoir, measured in cubic meters?
Answer: 20 billion cubic meters
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir is estimated to hold a substantial volume of 20 billion cubic meters of water.
What are the geographical coordinates of the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: 4°48′N 55°04′W
Explanation: The geographical coordinates for the Brokopondo Reservoir are 4 degrees, 48 minutes North latitude and 55 degrees, 4 minutes West longitude.
What is a common alternative name for the Brokopondo Reservoir used by Dutch-speaking locals?
Answer: Brokopondostuwmeer
Explanation: Dutch-speaking locals commonly refer to the Brokopondo Reservoir as Brokopondostuwmeer.
The Brokopondo Reservoir encompasses approximately what proportion of Suriname's total land area?
Answer: About 1%
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir covers nearly one percent of Suriname's total land area, indicating its significant scale relative to the nation.
Which of the following is recognized as an alternative name for the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: Suriname River Lake
Explanation: Suriname River Lake is one of the common alternative names used for the Brokopondo Reservoir.
The Afobaka Dam was constructed across the Maroni River.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Afobaka Dam was constructed across the Suriname River, not the Maroni River.
Construction of the Afobaka Dam commenced in 1951.
Answer: False
Explanation: Construction of the Afobaka Dam occurred between 1961 and 1964, not in 1951.
The Afobaka Dam has a height of 177 feet.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Afobaka Dam measures 54 meters, which is equivalent to 177 feet in height.
The total length of the Afobaka Dam, including secondary dams, measures 7.5 miles.
Answer: True
Explanation: The combined length of the Afobaka Dam and its secondary dams is 12 kilometers, which is approximately 7.5 miles.
Suralco, a subsidiary of Alcoa, utilized the electricity generated by the dam.
Answer: True
Explanation: Suralco, the Suriname Aluminum Company and a subsidiary of Alcoa, operated the industrial plants that consumed the electricity produced by the Afobaka Dam.
What structure was erected to create the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: The Afobaka Dam
Explanation: The Afobaka Dam was the specific structure constructed to impound the waters of the Suriname River, thereby forming the Brokopondo Reservoir.
During which period was the Afobaka Dam constructed?
Answer: 1961-1964
Explanation: The construction phase for the Afobaka Dam spanned from 1961 to 1964.
What was the principal economic impetus for the construction of the Afobaka Dam and the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: To generate electricity for bauxite processing
Explanation: The primary objective was the generation of electrical power essential for the bauxite processing industry in Suriname.
Which company, a subsidiary of Alcoa, operated the industrial facilities that utilized the dam's generated electricity?
Answer: Suriname Aluminum Company (Suralco)
Explanation: The Suriname Aluminum Company, commonly known as Suralco and a subsidiary of Alcoa, operated the plants that consumed the electricity produced by the dam.
The Afobaka Dam has a height of 54 meters. What is its total length, inclusive of secondary dams?
Answer: 12 kilometers
Explanation: The total length of the Afobaka Dam, incorporating its secondary dams, extends to 12 kilometers.
The Brokopondo Reservoir commenced operations in 1971.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir began operations in 1965. It reached its optimal water level in 1971.
The Brokopondo Reservoir achieved its optimal water level within two years of commencing operations.
Answer: False
Explanation: It took several years for the reservoir to fill; it reached its optimal water level in 1971, six years after operations began.
Approximately 1,200 individuals were displaced by the formation of the reservoir.
Answer: False
Explanation: While the village of Ganzee, the largest abandoned settlement, had approximately 1,200 residents, the total number of displaced individuals was around 5,000.
Ganzee was the largest village necessitating abandonment due to the reservoir's creation.
Answer: True
Explanation: Ganzee was indeed the largest village that had to be evacuated and abandoned as a consequence of the reservoir's inundation.
New settlements established for displaced residents included Marshallkreek and Nieuw Ganzee.
Answer: True
Explanation: Marshallkreek and Nieuw Ganzee were among the new settlements created to house the populations displaced by the reservoir's formation.
"Operation Gwamba" was an initiative focused on relocating wildlife from the area designated for the reservoir.
Answer: False
Explanation: Operation Gwamba was specifically an initiative to rescue animals from the area prior to its submersion, not a relocation effort.
Merely 25% of the dam's electricity output was allocated for industrial processing.
Answer: False
Explanation: Approximately 75% of the dam's electricity was utilized for industrial processing, with the remainder supplied to Paramaribo.
The dam's construction contributed to pushing back the saltwater boundary within the Suriname River.
Answer: True
Explanation: One of the benefits derived from the dam's construction was its role in mitigating saltwater intrusion into the Suriname River.
The town of Brokopondo is situated upstream from the Afobaka Dam.
Answer: False
Explanation: The town of Brokopondo is located approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) downstream from the Afobaka Dam, not upstream.
What proportion of the Afobaka Dam's electricity output was primarily directed towards industrial processing?
Answer: Approximately 75%
Explanation: Roughly 75% of the electricity generated by the dam was allocated to power the industrial facilities involved in aluminum processing.
Approximately how many individuals were displaced as a direct consequence of the Brokopondo Reservoir's creation?
Answer: Approximately 5,000 people
Explanation: The formation of the reservoir necessitated the displacement of an estimated 5,000 individuals from their homes.
Which of the following was NOT identified as a benefit resulting from the dam's construction, beyond its primary function of providing industrial power?
Answer: Enhancement of seismic activity
Explanation: While the dam offered benefits such as inland development, saltwater mitigation, and improved irrigation, increased seismic activity was not listed as a positive outcome.
What was the designation of the largest village that required abandonment due to the reservoir's construction?
Answer: Ganzee
Explanation: Ganzee was the largest village that had to be abandoned and submerged as a result of the reservoir's creation.
What was the name of the initiative undertaken to rescue animals from the area prior to its submersion by the reservoir?
Answer: Operation Gwamba
Explanation: Operation Gwamba was the specific initiative organized for the rescue of animals from the region before it was inundated by the reservoir.
In what year did the Brokopondo Reservoir commence its operational phase?
Answer: 1965
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir officially began its operations in the year 1965.
A 2003 World Bank report critiqued the Brokopondo dam for flooding an insufficient area of land relative to its power generation.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 2003 World Bank report criticized the Brokopondo dam for flooding a disproportionately large area of land per megawatt generated, not too little.
The Brokopondo dam inundated approximately 160,000 hectares of rainforest.
Answer: True
Explanation: The inundation caused by the Brokopondo dam covered an estimated area of 160,000 hectares of rainforest.
The Three Gorges Dam exhibits a higher land inundation ratio per megawatt compared to the Brokopondo dam.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Brokopondo dam has a significantly higher land inundation ratio (889 hectares/MW) than the Three Gorges Dam (6 hectares/MW).
The global average land inundation ratio for large hydroelectric dams is approximately 600 hectares per megawatt.
Answer: False
Explanation: The global average land inundation ratio for large hydroelectric dams is approximately 60 hectares per megawatt, considerably less than 600 hectares per megawatt.
Trees within the reservoir area were systematically felled prior to the reservoir's filling to minimize construction costs.
Answer: False
Explanation: The trees in the reservoir area were intentionally left standing prior to filling, primarily as a measure to reduce construction costs.
Submerged, uncut trees posed significant challenges to shipping and navigation within the reservoir.
Answer: True
Explanation: The presence of submerged, uncleared trees created substantial obstacles for maritime traffic and general navigation on the reservoir.
The Brokopondo dam's environmental impact, measured by land inundation per megawatt, was considerably lower than the global average.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Brokopondo dam's land inundation ratio was significantly higher than the global average for large hydroelectric dams.
According to a 2003 World Bank report, what was the primary environmental criticism leveled against the Brokopondo dam?
Answer: Disproportionately large land inundation per megawatt generated
Explanation: The World Bank report highlighted that the Brokopondo dam's land inundation ratio was notably high when compared to the electricity output it produced.
How did the land inundation ratio (hectares per megawatt) of the Brokopondo dam compare to that of the Three Gorges Dam?
Answer: Brokopondo's ratio was significantly higher than the Three Gorges Dam.
Explanation: The Brokopondo dam's inundation ratio of 889 hectares per megawatt was considerably higher than that of the Three Gorges Dam, which was approximately 6 hectares per megawatt.
What was the rationale behind not felling the trees in the reservoir area prior to its inundation?
Answer: To minimize construction expenses
Explanation: The decision not to clear the trees before filling the reservoir was primarily a cost-saving measure during the construction phase.
What specific issue arose in the reservoir due to the presence of submerged, uncut trees?
Answer: Obstruction to shipping and navigation
Explanation: The submerged trees created significant obstacles and posed problems for shipping and navigation activities on the reservoir.
The Brokopondo dam's land inundation ratio was approximately 889 hectares per megawatt. How does this compare to the global average?
Answer: It is significantly higher than the global average.
Explanation: With a ratio of 889 hectares per megawatt, the Brokopondo dam's land inundation is substantially greater than the global average of approximately 60 hectares per megawatt.
Brokopondo Watra Wood International N.V. (BWWI) obtained authorization in 2002 to explore the feasibility of harvesting submerged timber.
Answer: True
Explanation: In 2002, Brokopondo Watra Wood International N.V. (BWWI) received permission by Suralco to explore the potential for harvesting the submerged trees.
The concept of harvesting submerged timber from the reservoir was inspired by similar initiatives undertaken at the Tucuruí Dam in Brazil.
Answer: True
Explanation: The idea for underwater logging operations in the Brokopondo Reservoir was reportedly influenced by analogous efforts conducted at the Tucuruí Dam in Brazil.
The inaugural shipment of wood harvested from the Brokopondo Reservoir was dispatched in June 2005.
Answer: True
Explanation: The first consignment of wood extracted from the Brokopondo Reservoir was shipped in June 2005, destined for markets in Europe and the United States.
In Germany, timber harvested from the Brokopondo Reservoir is marketed under the designation 'Reservoir Timber'.
Answer: False
Explanation: The harvested wood is marketed in Germany as 'Stauseeholz,' which translates to 'Reservoir wood,' not 'Reservoir Timber'.
The Brokopondo Reservoir is cataloged within the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF).
Answer: True
Explanation: The Brokopondo Reservoir is indeed associated with the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF), identified by the identifier 315137755.
Willem Johan van Blommestein was a prominent Surinamese politician.
Answer: False
Explanation: Willem Johan van Blommestein, the namesake of the reservoir, was a distinguished Dutch hydrological engineer, not a Surinamese politician.
What event or initiative served as the inspiration for the concept of harvesting submerged trees from the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: Underwater logging efforts at the Tucuruí Dam in Brazil
Explanation: The idea to harvest submerged timber was reportedly inspired by analogous underwater logging operations previously carried out at the Tucuruí Dam in Brazil.
What is the specific German marketing term used for wood harvested from the Brokopondo Reservoir?
Answer: Stauseeholz
Explanation: Wood harvested from the Brokopondo Reservoir is marketed in Germany as 'Stauseeholz,' which translates to 'Reservoir wood.'
Who was Willem Johan van Blommestein, the individual after whom the reservoir is officially named?
Answer: A Dutch hydrological engineer
Explanation: Willem Johan van Blommestein was a notable Dutch hydrological engineer.