Suriname
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Suriname
conventional short form: Suriname local long form: Republiek Suriname local short form: Suriname former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana |
| Gevernment type | constitutional democracy |
| Capital |
name: Paramaribo
geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band |
| Currency | Surinam dollar (SRD) |
| Internet country code | .sr |
| Ports and terminals | Paramaribo |
| Agriculture products | paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products |
| Industries | bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing |
| Geography |
| Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana |
| Coordinates | 4 00 N, 56 00 W |
| Continent | South America |
| Area |
total: 163,270 sq km
land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 1,703 km
border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km |
| Coastline | 386 km |
| Climate | tropical; moderated by trade winds |
| Terrain | mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps |
| Natural resources | timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore |
| Natural hazards | NA |
| People |
| Population | 439,117 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2% |
| Religions | Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5% |
| Languages | Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese |
