South America: Plan your Journey

Suriname

The Republic of Suriname, more commonly known as Suriname or Surinam, (formerly known as Netherlands Guiana and Dutch Guiana) is a country in northern South America, in between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast. The most southern parts of the borders with Guyana and French Guiana are disputed (upper Corantijn and Marowijne rivers-the map shows the Guyana and French Guiana versions of the border). Suriname is called Indonesia of the West by Indonesia. more...

National name: Republiek Suriname
Full country name: Suriname
Area: 63,039 sq mi (163,270 sq km)
Population: 38,144 (growth rate: 0.2%); birth rate: 18.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 23.6/1000; life expectancy: 69.0; density per sq mi: 7
Capital City: Paramaribo
Language: Dutch (official), Surinamese (lingua franca), English widely spoken, Hindustani, Javanese
Government: Constitutional democracy
President Ronald Venetiaan (2000
)Prime Minister: Jules Ajodhia (2000)
Religion:Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Islam 19.6%, indigenous 5%
Monetary unit: Surinamese dollar
Ethnicity/race: East Indians (also known locally as Hindustanis) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, “Bush Negroes” (also known as Maroons) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, Europeans 1%, other 2%

History of Suriname

Though Dutch traders had established several colonies in the Guyanas region before around 1600, the Dutch did not gain full control of what is now Suriname until the Treaty of Breda, which marked end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. After becoming an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1954, independence was granted in 1975. A military regime led by Desi Bouterse ruled the country in the 1980s, until democracy was re-established in 1988. more...

Overview of Suriname's Economy

Literacy rate:93% (1995 est.)
GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $1.885 billion
Per capita: $4,300
Real growth rate: 4.2%
Inflation: 23% (2003 est.)
Unemployment: 17% (2000)
Arable land: 0.4%
Agriculture: paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; forest products; shrimp
Industries: bauxite and gold mining, alumina production, oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Exports: $495 million (f.o.b., 2002): alumina, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
Imports: $604 million (f.o.b., 2002): capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods
Major trading partners: U.S., Norway, Belgium, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, China, Japan (2003).

Also Read: A Brief insight in The Economy of Suriname | Demographics of Suriname | Activities of Suriname | Tourist Attractions of Suriname

Political System of Suriname

- Politics in Suriname

Climate, Vegetation and Faunau

- Climate: Tropical and humid, cooled by the northeast trade winds. The best time to visit is February to April...more
- Food and Drink: Owing to the diverse ethnic mixture of the population, Surinam offers a good variety of dishes...more
- Nightlife: There are several nightclubs in Paramaribo, often attached to a hotel, with live music and dancing. more...

Facts for Travellers

Visa:United States entry requirements are the same in all states, with most foreign travelers requiring a visa. The US State Department issues all US visas. more...
Time Zone:
GMT - 3
Electricity: 127 volts AC, 60Hz. European round two-pin plugs and screw-type lamp fittings are in use
Location: North coast of South America
Country dialing code: 597
Highest Point: Juliana Top (1,230 m) (4,030 ft)
Official Currency: Surinamese guilder
Latitude/Longitude: 4º N, 56º W

Geography of Suriname

Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. It is situated on the Guiana Shield and part of Caribbean South America. The country can be divided into two main geographic regions. The northern, lowland coastal area (roughly above the line Albina-Paranam-Wageningen) has been cultivated, and most of the population lives here. The southern part consists of tropical rainforest and sparsely inhabited savanna along the border with Brazil, covering about 80% of Suriname's land surface. more...

Shopping in Suriname

Suriname Popular items include Maroon tribal woodcarvings, hand-carved and hand-painted trays and gourds, Amerindian bows and arrows, cotton hammocks, wicker and ceramic objects, gold and silver jewelry, Javanese bamboo and batik, as well as tobacco and liquor products. Chinese shops sell imported jade, silks, glass, dolls, needlework and wall decorations. more...

Also Read: Music of Suriname | Foreign relations of Suriname | Districts of Suriname | Cities in Suriname

Climate of Venezuela Weather The climate varies according to altitude. Lowland areas have a tropical climate. The dry season is from December to April and the rainy season from May to December. During the rainy season, there is the possibility of flooding in certain low-lying areas, such as the Llanos and in some valley of the [...]
Activities in Venezuela Hiking and trekking Venezuela has 42 national parks and around 20 nature reserves (monumentos naturales) which, together, cover some 15 per cent of the total land mass. All types of walks, ranging from signposted trails to mountain climbing and jungle paths, are possible. Visitors should note that a permit, issued by central [...]
Tourist Attractions in Venezuela Venezuela offers a great variety of landscapes - tropical beaches, immense plains, enormous rivers, forests, jungle, waterfalls and great mountains. Unfortunately, the flash floods and mudslides which hit Venezuela in 1999 severely damaged the country’s infrastructure; some of which may still not have been fully restored. Travelers should check prior to [...]
Nightlife in Venezuela There are many nightclubs and discos in the major cities of Venezuela. The National and Municipal Theaters offer a variety of concerts, ballet, plays, operas and operettas. There are other theaters - some of which are open-air - in Caracas, as well as several cinemas.
Food and Dining in Venezuela Cumin and saffron are used in many dishes but the distinctive and delicate flavor of most of the popular dishes comes from the use of local roots and vegetables. Some local specialties are tequenos, a popular hors d’oeuvres (thin dough wrapped around a finger of local white cheese and fried crisp); [...]
Shopping in Venezuela There are many handicrafts unique to Venezuela that are made by local Indian tribes. Good purchases are gems and jewelry, cacique coins, gold, pearls, pompom slippers, seed necklaces, shoes and handbags, Indian bows, arrows, mats, pipes and baskets, alpargatas (traditional local footwear of the Campesinos), chinchorros (local hammocks) and many other [...]
Caracas: Venezuela Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, following the contours of a narrow mountain valley. The valley’s temperatures are springlike, and the urbanizable terrain of the Caracas Valley lies between 2,500 and 3,000 ft (760 and 910 m) above sea level. The Valley is close to [...]
Military of Venezuela As of 2000, the national armed forces of Venezuela (FAN Fuerza Armada Nacional) enlisted 87,500 individuals in four service branches–the Army, Navy (including the Marine Corps), Air Force, and the Armed Forces of Cooperation (FAC), commonly known as the National Guard. As of 2005, about 100,000 soldiers were integrated in the military through [...]
Foreign relations of Venezuela Venezuela’s priorities in the international arena are: Respect for human rights; The right of all people to self-determination; Nonintervention in the internal affairs of other nations; Peaceful settlement of disputes between nations, including border disputes; The right of all people to peace and security; and Support for democracy. Hemispheric cooperation and integration are two pillars of president Hugo Chavez’s [...]
Music of Venezuela Venezuelan pop music has been largely overshadowed on the international scene by its neighbors, especially Brazil, Trinidad and Colombia. It is known for its own salsa, merengue and other imported styles, as well as the distinct llanera music. Originally a rural form of the llanos, or plains, llanera spread to musically creative artists like [...]

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