Suriname

Suriname(/ˈsʊərɪnæm,-nɑːm/SOOR-in-A(H)M,Dutch:[syːriˈnaːmə],Sranan Tongo:Sranan[sraˈnãŋ]), officially theRepublic of Suriname(Dutch:Republiek Suriname[reːpyˈbliksyːriˈnaːmə]), is a country in northernSouth America, sometimes considered part of theCaribbeanand theWest Indies. It is adeveloping countrywith amedium level of human development; itseconomyis heavily dependent on its abundantnatural resources, namelybauxite,gold,petroleum, andagricultural products. Suriname is a member of theCaribbean Community(CARICOM), theUnited Nations, theOrganisation of Islamic Cooperationand theOrganization of American States.
Situatedslightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered byrainforests,the highest proportion of forest cover in the world.Suriname is borderedby theAtlantic Oceanto the north,French Guianato the east,Guyanato the west, andBrazilto the south. It isthe smallest country in South Americaby both population and territory,with around 612,985 inhabitants in 2021 in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers (63,251 square miles).The capital and largest city isParamaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.
Suriname was inhabited as early as the fourth millennium BC by variousindigenous peoples, including theArawaks,Caribs, andWayana. Europeans arrived and contested the area in the 16th century, with theDutchcontrolling much of the country's current territory by the late 17th century. UnderDutch rule, Suriname was a lucrativeplantation colonyfocused mostly onsugar; its economy was driven byAfrican slave labouruntil the abolition of slavery in 1863, after whichindentured servantswere recruited mostly fromBritish Indiaand theDutch East Indies. In 1954, Suriname became aconstituent countryof theKingdom of the Netherlands. On 25 November 1975, it becameindependentfollowing negotiations with the Dutch government. Suriname continues to maintain close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the Netherlands.
Suriname's culture and society strongly reflect the legacy of Dutch colonial rule. It is the only sovereign nation outside Europe whereDutchis the official and prevailing language of government, business, media, and education;an estimated 60% of the population speaks Dutch as a native language.Sranan Tongo, an English-basedcreole language, is a widely usedlingua franca. Most Surinamese are descendants of slaves and indentured labourers brought fromAfricaandAsiaby the Dutch. Suriname is highly diverse, with no ethnic group forming a majority; proportionally, its Muslim and Hindu populations are some of the largest in the Americas. Most people live along the northern coast, centered around Paramaribo, making Surinameone of the least densely populated countries on Earth.
The nameSurinamemay derive from an indigenous people calledSurinen, who inhabited the area at the time of European contact.The suffix -ame, common in Surinamese river and place names (see also theCoppename River), may come fromaimaoreima, meaning river or creek mouth, inLokono, anArawak languagespoken in the country.
The earliest European sources give variants of "Suriname" as the name of theriveron which colonies were eventually founded.Lawrence Kemyswrote in hisRelation of the Second Voyage to Guianaof passing a river called "Shurinama" as he travelled along the coast. In 1598, a fleet of three Dutch ships visiting the Wild Coast mention passing the river "Surinamo". In 1617, a Dutch notary spelled the name of the river on which a Dutch trading post had existed three years earlier as "Surrenant".
British settlers, who in 1630 founded the first European colony at Marshall's Creek along the Suriname River, spelled the name "Surinam"; this would long remain the standard spelling in English.The Dutch navigatorDavid Pietersz. de Vrieswrote of travelling up the "Sername" river in 1634 until he encountered the English colony there; the terminal vowel remained in future Dutch spellings and pronunciations. The river was calledSoronamain a 1640 Spanish manuscript entitled "General Description of All His Majesty's Dominions in America". In 1653, instructions given to a British fleet sailing to meetLord WilloughbyinBarbados, which at the time was the seat of English colonial government in the region, again spelled the name of the colonySurinam. A 1663 royal charter said the region around the river was "called Serrinam also Surrinam".
As a result of theSurrinamspelling, 19th-century British sources offered the folk etymologySurryham, saying it was the name given to the Suriname River by Lord Willoughby in the 1660s in honour of theDuke of Norfolk and Earl of Surreywhen an Englishcolonywas established under a grant from KingCharles II.This folk etymology can be found repeated in later English-language sources.
When the territory was taken over by the Dutch, it became part of a group of colonies known asDutch Guiana. The official spelling of the country's English name was changed from "Surinam" to "Suriname" in January 1978, but "Surinam" can still be found in English, such asSurinam Airwaysand theSurinam toad. The older English name is reflected in the English pronunciation,/ˈsjʊərɪnæm,-nɑːm/. InDutch, the official language of Suriname, the pronunciation is[ˌsyːriˈnaːmə], with aschwaterminal vowel and the main stress on the third syllable.
Indigenous settlement of Suriname dates back to 3,000 BC. The largest tribes were theArawak, a nomadic coastal tribe that lived from hunting and fishing. They were the first inhabitants in the area. TheCaribalso settled in the area and conquered the Arawak by using their superior sailing ships. They settled in Galibi (Kupali Yumï, meaning "tree of the forefathers") at the mouth of theMarowijne River. While the larger Arawak and Carib tribes lived along the coast and savanna, smaller groups of indigenous people lived in the inland rainforest, such as theAkurio,Trió,Warao, andWayana.
Beginning in the 16th century,French,SpanishandEnglishexplorers visited the area. A century later,DutchandEnglishsettlers establishedplantationcolonies along the many rivers in the fertile Guiana plains. The earliest documented colony inGuianawas an English settlement named Marshall's Creek along the Suriname River.After that, there was another short-lived English colony calledSurinamthat lasted from 1650 to 1667.
Disputes arose between the Dutch and the English for control of this territory. In 1667, during negotiations leading to theTreaty of Bredaafter theSecond Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch decided to keep the nascent plantation colony of Surinam they had gained from the English. In return the English keptNew Amsterdam, the main city of the former colony ofNew Netherlandin North America on the mid-Atlantic coast. The British renamed itNew York, after theDuke of Yorkwho would later become KingJames II of England.
In 1683, theSociety of Surinamewas founded by the city ofAmsterdam, theVan Aerssen van Sommelsdijckfamily, and theDutch West India Company. The society was chartered to manage and defend the colony. The planters of the colony relied heavily onAfrican slavesto cultivate, harvest and process the commodity crops of coffee, cocoa, sugar cane and cotton plantations along the rivers. Planters' treatment of the slaves was notoriously brutal even by the standards of the time—historianC. R. Boxerwrote that "man's inhumanity to man just about reached its limits in Surinam"—and many slaves escaped the plantations. In November 1795, the Society was nationalized by theBatavian Republicand from then on the Batavian Republic and its legal successors (the Kingdom of Holland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands) governed the territory as a national colony – barring two periods of British occupation, between 1799 and 1802, and between 1804 and 1816.
With the help of thenative South Americansliving in the adjoining rain forests, runaway slaves established a new and unique culture in the interior that was highly successful in its own right. They were known collectively in English asMaroons, in French asNèg'Marrons(literally meaning "brown negroes", that is "pale-skinned negroes"), and in Dutch asMarrons. The Maroons gradually developed several independent tribes through a process ofethnogenesis, as they were made up of slaves from different African ethnicities. These tribes include theSaramaka,Paramaka,Ndyukaor Aukan,Kwinti,Alukuor Boni, andMatawai.
The Maroons often raided plantations to recruit new members from the slaves and capture women, as well as to acquire weapons, food, and supplies. They sometimes killed planters and their families in the raids. Colonists built defenses, which were significant enough that they were shown on 18th-century maps.
The colonists also mounted armed campaigns against the Maroons, who generally escaped through the rainforest, which they knew much better than the colonists did. To end hostilities, in the 18th century, the European colonial authorities signed several peace treaties with different tribes. They granted the Maroons sovereign status and trade rights in their inland territories, giving them autonomy.
From 1861 to 1863, with theAmerican Civil Warunderway, and enslaved people escaping to Northern territory controlled by theUnion, United States PresidentAbraham Lincolnandhis administrationlooked abroad for places to relocate people who were freed fromenslavementand who wanted to leave the United States. It opened negotiations with the Dutch government regarding African American emigration to and colonization of theDutch colony of Suriname. Nothing came of the idea, which was dropped after 1864.
The Netherlands abolished slavery in Suriname in 1863, under a gradual process that required slaves to work on plantations for 10 transition years for minimal pay, which was considered as partial compensation for their masters. After that transition period expired in 1873, mostfreedmenlargely abandoned the plantations where they had worked for several generations in favor of the capital city,Paramaribo. Some of them were able to purchase the plantations they worked on, especially in the district of Para and Coronie. Their descendants still live on those grounds today. Several plantation owners did not pay their former enslaved workers the pay they owed them for the ten years following 1863. They paid the workers with the property rights of the ground of the plantation in order to escape their debt to the workers.
As a plantation colony, Suriname had an economy dependent on labor-intensive commodity crops. To make up for a shortage of labor, the Dutch recruited and transported contract orindentured laborersfrom theDutch East Indies(modern Indonesia) and India (the latter through an arrangement with the British, who then ruled the area). In addition, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, small numbers of laborers, mostly men, were recruited from China and the Middle East.
Although Suriname's population remains relatively small, because of this complex colonization and exploitation, it is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse countries in the world.
DuringWorld War II, on 23 November 1941, under an agreement with theNetherlands government-in-exile, the United States sent 2,000 soldiers to Suriname to protect thebauxitemines to support the Allies' war effort.In 1942, the Dutch government-in-exile began to review the relations between the Netherlands and its colonies in terms of the post-war period.
In 1954, Suriname became one of the constituent countries of theKingdom of the Netherlands, along with theNetherlands Antillesand the Netherlands. In this construction, the Netherlands retained control of its defense and foreign affairs. In 1974, the local government, led by theNational Party of Suriname(NPS) (whose membership was largelyCreole, meaning ethnically African or mixed African-European), started negotiations with the Dutch government leading towards full independence; in contrast toIndonesia's earlierwar for independencefrom the Netherlands, the path toward Suriname's independence had been an initiative of thethen left-wing Dutch government. Independence was granted on 25 November 1975. A large part of Suriname's economy for the first decade following independence was fueled by foreign aid provided by the Dutch government.
The first President of the country wasJohan Ferrier, the former governor, withHenck Arron(the then leader of the NPS) as Prime Minister. In the years leading up to independence, nearly one-third of the population of Suriname emigrated to the Netherlands, amidst concern that the new country would fare worse under independence than it had as a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Surinamese politics did degenerate into ethnic polarisation and corruption soon after independence, with the NPS using Dutch aid money for partisan purposes. Its leaders were accused of fraud in the1977 elections, in which Arron won a further term, and the discontent was such that a large portion of the population fled to the Netherlands, joining the already significant Surinamese community there.
On 25 February 1980, amilitary coupoverthrew Arron's government. It was initiated by a group of 16 sergeants, led byDési Bouterse.Opponents of the military regime attempted counter-coups in April 1980, August 1980, 15 March 1981, and again on 12 March 1982. The first counter attempt was led byFred Ormskerk,the second byMarxist-Leninists,the third byWilfred Hawker, and the fourth bySurendre Rambocus.
Hawker escaped from prison during the fourth counter-coup attempt, but he was captured and summarily executed. Between 2 am and 5 am on 7 December 1982, the military, under Bouterse's leadership, rounded up 13 prominent citizens who had criticized the military dictatorship and held them atFort Zeelandiain Paramaribo.The dictatorship had all these menexecuted over the next three days, along with Rambocus andJiwansingh Sheombar(who was also involved in the fourth counter-coup attempt).
The brutalcivil war between the Suriname army and Maroonsloyal to rebel leaderRonnie Brunswijk, begun in 1986, continued and its effects further weakened Bouterse's position during the 1990s. Due to the civil war, more than 10,000 Surinamese, mostly Maroons, fled toFrench Guianain the late 1980s.
National elections were held in 1987. The National Assembly adopted a new constitution that allowed Bouterse to remain in charge of the army. Dissatisfied with the government, Bouterse summarily dismissed the ministers in 1990, by telephone.This event became popularly known as the "Telephone Coup". His power began to wane after the 1991 elections.
At the1988 Summer OlympicsinSeoul, Suriname became the smallest independent South American state to win its first ever Olympic medal asAnthony Nestywon gold in the100-metre butterfly.
The first half of 1999 was marked by non-violentnational protestsagainst poor general economic and social conditions. By mid-year, the Netherlands tried Boutersein absentiaon drug-smuggling charges. He was convicted and sentenced to prison but remained in Suriname.
On 19 July 2010, Bouterse returned to power when he was elected as the president of Suriname.Before his election in 2010, he, along with 24 others, had been charged with the murders of 15 prominent dissidents in theDecember murders. However, in 2012, two months before the verdict in the trial, the National Assembly extended itsamnestylaw and provided Bouterse and the others with amnesty of these charges. He was reelected on 14 July 2015.However, Bouterse was convicted by a Surinamese court on 29 November 2019 and given a 20-year sentence for his role in the 1982 killings.
After winning the2020 elections,Chan Santokhiwas the sole nomination forpresident of Suriname.On 13 July, Santokhi was elected president by acclamation in anuncontested election.He was inaugurated on 16 July in a ceremony without public attendance due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In February 2023, there were heavy protests against rising living costs in the capital Paramaribo. Protesters accused the government of President Chan Santokhi of corruption. They stormed the National Assembly, demanding the government to resign. However, the government condemned the protests.
The Republic of Suriname is arepresentative democraticrepublic, based on theConstitution of 1987. The legislative branch of government consists of a 51-memberunicameralNational Assembly, simultaneously and popularly elected for a five-year term.
In the elections held on Tuesday 25 May 2010, theMegacombinatiewon 23 of the National Assembly seats, followed byNationale Frontwith 20 seats. A much smaller number, important for coalition-building, went to the "A-combinatie" and to theVolksalliantie.The parties held negotiations to form coalitions. Elections were held on 25 May 2015, and the National Assembly again elected Dési Bouterse as president.
Thepresident of Surinameis elected for a five-year term by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly. If at least two-thirds of the National Assembly cannot agree to vote for one presidential candidate, a People's Assembly is formed from all National Assembly delegates and regional and municipal representatives who were elected by popular vote in the most recent national election. The president may be elected by a majority of the People's Assembly called for the special election.
As head of government, the president appoints a sixteen-minister cabinet. A vice president is normally elected for a five-year term at the same time as the president, by a simple majority in the National Assembly or People's Assembly. There is no constitutional provision for removal or replacement of the president, except in the case of resignation.
The judiciary is headed by theHigh Court of Justice of Suriname(Supreme Court). This court supervises the magistrate courts. Members are appointed for life by the president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the National Order of Private Attorneys.
Due to Suriname's Dutch colonial history, Suriname had a long-standing special relationship with the Netherlands.
In 1999, Dési Bouterse was convicted and sentencedin absentiain the Netherlands to 11 years of imprisonment for drug trafficking. He was the main suspect in the court case concerning the December murders, the 1982 assassination of opponents of military rule inFort Zeelandia, Paramaribo. He served as president between 2010 and 2020. These two cases still strain relations between the Netherlands and Suriname.
The Dutch government stated during that time that it would maintain limited contact with the president.
Bouterse was elected as president of Suriname in 2010. The Netherlands in July 2014 dropped Suriname as a member of its development program.
Since 1991, the United States has maintained positive relations with Suriname. The two countries work together through theCaribbean Basin Security Initiative(CBSI) and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Suriname also receives military funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Suriname has been a member ofThe Forum of Small States (FOSS)since the group's founding in 1992.
European Unionrelations and cooperation with Suriname are carried out both on a bilateral and a regional basis. There are ongoing EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States(CELAC) and EU-CARIFORUMdialogues. Suriname is party to theCotonou Agreement, the partnership agreement among the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the European Union.
On 17 February 2005, the leaders ofBarbadosand Suriname signed the "Agreement for the deepening of bilateral cooperation between the Government of Barbados and the Government of the Republic of Suriname."On 23–24 April 2009, both nations formed a Joint Commission inParamaribo, Suriname, to improve relations and to expand into various areas of cooperation.They held a second meeting toward this goal on 3–4 March 2011, in Dover, Barbados. Their representatives reviewed issues of agriculture, trade, investment, as well as international transport.
In the late 2000s, Suriname intensified development cooperation with other developing countries. China's South-South cooperation with Suriname has included a number of large-scale infrastructure projects, including port rehabilitation and road construction. Brazil signed agreements to cooperate with Suriname in education, health, agriculture, and energy production.
The Armed Forces of Suriname have three branches: the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. The president of the Republic is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Opperbevelhebber van de Strijdkrachten). The president is assisted by the minister of defence. Beneath the president and minister of defence is the commander of the armed forces (Bevelhebber van de Strijdkrachten). The military branches and regional military commands report to the commander.
After the creation of theStatute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, theRoyal Netherlands Armywas entrusted with the defense of Suriname, while the defense of theNetherlands Antilleswas the responsibility of theRoyal Netherlands Navy. The army set up a separateTroepenmacht in Suriname(Forces in Suriname, TRIS). Upon independence in 1975, this force was turned into theSurinaamse Krijgsmacht(SKM):, Surinamese Armed Forces. After the 1980 overthrow of the government, the SKM was rebranded as theNationaal Leger(NL), National Army.
In 1965, the Dutch and Americans used Suriname's Coronie site for multiple Nike Apachesounding rocketlaunches.
The country is divided into ten administrative districts, each headed by a district commissioner appointed by the president, who also has the power of dismissal. Suriname is further subdivided into 62 resorts (ressorten).
Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. Situated on theGuiana Shield, it lies mostly between latitudes1°and6°N, and longitudes54°and58°W. 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 tropicalrainforestand sparsely inhabitedsavannaalong the border with Brazil, covering about 80% of Suriname's land surface.
The two main mountain ranges are theBakhuys Mountainsand theVan Asch Van Wijck Mountains.Julianatopis the highest mountain in the country at 1,286 metres (4,219 ft) above sea level. Other mountains includeTafelbergat 1,026 metres (3,366 ft), MountKasikasimaat 718 metres (2,356 ft), Goliathberg at 358 metres (1,175 ft) andVoltzbergat 240 metres (790 ft).
Suriname contains six terrestrial ecoregions:Guayanan Highlands moist forests,Guianan moist forests,Paramaribo swamp forests,Tepuis,Guianan savanna, andGuianan mangroves.Itsforest coveris 90.2%, the highest of any nation in the world. The country had a 2019Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 9.39/10, ranking it fifth globally out of 172 countries.
Suriname is situated betweenFrench Guianato the east andGuyanato the west. The southern border is shared withBraziland the northern border is theAtlanticcoast. The southernmost borders with French Guiana and Guyana are disputed by these countries along theMarowijneandCorantijnrivers, respectively, while a part of the disputedmaritime boundarywith Guyana was arbitrated by thePermanent Court of Arbitrationconvened under the rules set out inAnnex VIIof theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Seaon 20 September 2007.
Lyingtwotofive degrees northof theequator, Suriname has a very hot and wettropical climate, and temperatures do not vary much throughout the year. Average relative humidity is between 80% and 90%. Its average temperature ranges from 29 to 34 °C (84 to 93 °F). Due to the high humidity, actual temperatures are distorted and may therefore feel up to 6 °C (11 °F) hotter than the recorded temperature.
The year has twowet seasons, from April to August and from November to February. It also has twodry seasons, from August to November and February to April.
Climate change in Surinameis leading to warmer temperatures and moreextreme weatherevents. As a relatively poor country, its contributions to globalclimate changehave been limited. Because of the large forest cover, the country has been running acarbon negativeeconomy since 2014.
Due to the variety of habitats and temperatures, biodiversity in Suriname is considered high.In October 2013, 16 international scientists researching the ecosystems during a three-week expedition in Suriname'sUpper Palumeu RiverWatershed catalogued 1,378 species and found 60—including six frogs, one snake, and 11 fish—that may be previously unknown species.According to the environmental non-profitConservation International, which funded the expedition, Suriname's ample supply of fresh water is vital to the biodiversity and healthy ecosystems of the region.
Snakewood (Brosimum guianense), a tree, is native to this tropical region of the Americas. Customs in Suriname report that snakewood is often illegally exported to French Guiana, thought to be for the crafts industry.
On 21 March 2013, Suriname's REDD+ Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP 2013) was approved by the member countries of the Participants Committee of theForest Carbon Partnership Facility(FCPF).
As in other parts of Central and South America, indigenous communities have increased their activism to protect their lands and preserve habitat. In March 2015, the "TrioandWayanacommunities presented a declaration of cooperation to theNational Assembly of Surinamethat announces an indigenous conservation corridor spanning 72,000 square kilometers (27,799 square miles) of southern Suriname. The declaration, led by these indigenous communities and with the support ofConservation International(CI) andWorld Wildlife Fund(WWF) Guianas, comprises almost half of the total area of Suriname.This area includes large forests and is considered "essential for the country'sclimate resilience, freshwater security, and green development strategy."
TheCentral Suriname Nature Reservehas been designated a UNESCOWorld Heritage Sitefor its unspoiled forests andbiodiversity. There are many national parks in the country, including Galibi National Reserve along the coast;Brownsberg Nature ParkandEilerts de Haan Nature Parkin central Suriname; and theSipaliwani Nature Reserveon the Brazilian border. In all, 16% of the country's land area is national parks and lakes, according to the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Suriname's extensive tree cover is vital to the country's efforts tomitigate climate changeand maintaincarbon negativity.
Suriname's democracy gained some strength after the turbulent 1990s, and its economy became more diversified and less dependent on Dutch financial assistance.Bauxite(aluminium ore) mining used to be a strong revenue source, since before the independence of the country up to 2015. Because Alcoa stopped all bauxite operations, the bauxite era in Suriname also ended.
The discovery, exploration and exploitation of oil and gold nowadays contributes substantially to Suriname's economic independence. Agriculture, especially rice and bananas, remains a strong component of the economy, andecotourismis providing new economic opportunities. More than 93% of Suriname's landmass consists of unspoiled rainforest.With the establishment of theCentral Suriname Nature Reservein 1998, Suriname signaled its commitment to the conservation of this precious resource. The Central Suriname Nature Reserve became aWorld Heritage Sitein 2000.
The economy of Suriname was dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounted for more than 15% of GDP and 70% of export earnings up to 2015. Currently gold exports make up 60-80% of all exports earnings. In 2021 the gold industry accounted for 8.5% of the GDP. The share of large-scale mining in total gold production is 58% compared to 42% of small-scale mining.With an export value of US$1.83 billion in 2023, the gold sector makes an important contribution to the economy.The gold production of Suriname in 2015 is 30 metric tonnes.
The exploration and exploitation of oil adds substantially to the economy of Suriname at about 10% of the GDP.The national oil company,STAATSOLIE, is the motor behind Suriname's oil industry. Their core business is oil extraction and refining. In 2022 they made a revenue of US$840 million. In that year their contribution to the state treasury was US$320 million.In 2023 they made a revenue of US$722 million. The drop in revenue was because of the lower price for oil per barrel that year. Their contribution to the Surinamese state treasury was US$335 million.
Other main export products include rice, bananas, andshrimp. Suriname has recently started exploiting some of its sizeableoiland goldreserves. About a quarter of the people work in the agricultural sector. The Surinamese economy is very dependent on commerce, its main trade partners being, Switzerland, China, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, andCaribbeancountries, mainlyTrinidad and Tobagoand the islands of the formerNetherlands Antilles.
After assuming power in the fall of 1996, theWijdenboschgovernment ended thestructural adjustmentprogram of the previous government, claiming it was unfair to the poorer elements of society. Tax revenues fell as old taxes lapsed and the government failed to implement new tax alternatives. By the end of 1997, the allocation of new Dutch development funds was frozen as Surinamese Government relations with the Netherlands deteriorated. Economic growth slowed in 1998, with decline in the mining, construction, andutilitysectors. Rampant government expenditures, poor tax collection, a bloated civil service, and reduced foreign aid in 1999 contributed to the fiscal deficit, estimated at 11% of GDP. The government sought to cover this deficit through monetary expansion, which led to a dramatic increase in inflation.  It takes longer on average to register a new business in Suriname than virtually any other country in the world (694 days or about 99 weeks).
In 2022, Suriname had a population of roughly 618,040 according to estimates by theUnited Nations.This compares to 541,638 inhabitants from the 2012 census.The Surinamese populace is characterized by high levels of diversity, wherein no particular demographic group constitutes a majority. This is a legacy of centuries of Dutch rule, which entailed successive periods of forced, contracted, or voluntary migration by various nationalities and ethnic groups from around the world.
The largest ethnic group areAsian Surinamese(about 43%), with the largest subgroup beingIndo-Surinamese, who form over a quarter of the population (27.4%).The vast majority are descendants of 19th-centuryindentured workers from India, hailing mostly from areas in theHindi Beltof modernBihar,Jharkhand, and northeasternUttar Pradesh,HaryanaandBengal. If counted as one ethnic group, theAfro-Surinameseare the second largest community, at around 37.4%; however, they are usually divided into two cultural/ethnic groups: theCreolesand the Maroons. Surinamese Maroons, whose ancestors are mostly runaway slaves that fled to the interior, comprise 21.7% of the population. They are divided into six tribes:Ndyuka(Aucans),Saramaccans,Paramaccans,Kwinti,Aluku(Boni) andMatawai. SurinameseCreoles, mixed people descending from African slaves and Europeans (mostly Dutch), form 15.7% of the population.Javanesemake up 14% of the population, and like the East Indians, descend largely from workers contracted from the island ofJavain the formerDutch East Indies(modernIndonesia).13.4% of the population identifies as being of mixed ethnic heritage.Chinese, originating from 19th-century indentured workers and some recent migration, make up 7.3% of the population.
Other groups includeLebanese, primarilyMaronites, andJewsofSephardicandAshkenaziorigin, whose center of population wasJodensavanne. Variousindigenous peoplesmake up 3.7% of the population, with the main groups being theAkurio,Arawak,Kalina(Caribs),TiriyóandWayana. They live mainly in the districts ofParamaribo,Wanica,Para,MarowijneandSipaliwini.A small but influential number ofEuropeansremain in the country, comprising about 1% of the population. They are descended mostly fromDutch19th-century immigrant farmers, known as "Boeroes" (derived fromboer, theDutchword for "farmer"), and to a lesser degree other European groups, such asPortuguese. Many Boeroesleft after independence in 1975.
More recently Suriname has seen a new wave of immigrants, namelyBrazilians,HaitiansandChinese(many of them laborers mining for gold). Most do not have legal status.
The option to choose between Surinamese or Dutch citizenship in the years leading up to Suriname's independence in 1975 led to a mass migration to the Netherlands. This migration continued in the period immediately after independence and during military rule in the 1980s and for largely economic reasons extended throughout the 1990s. TheSurinamese communityin the Netherlands numbered 350,300 as of 2013(including children and grandchildren of Suriname migrants born in the Netherlands), compared to approximately 566,000 Surinamese in Suriname itself.
According to theInternational Organization for Migration, around 272,600 people from Suriname lived in other countries in the late 2010s, in particular in the Netherlands (c.192,000), France (c. 25,000, most of them inFrench Guiana),the United States (c. 15,000),Guyana(c. 5,000),Aruba(c. 1,500), and Canada (c. 1,000).
Suriname's religious makeup is heterogeneous and reflective of the country's multicultural character.According toPew researchfrom 2012, Christians are the largest religious community, at slightly over half the population (51.6%), followed byHindus(19.8%) andMuslims(15.2%); other religious minorities include adherents of various folk traditions (5.3%), Buddhists (<1%),Jews(<1%), practitioners of other faiths (1.8%), andunaffiliated(5.4%).
According to the 2020 census, 52.3% of Surinamese were Christians; 26.7% wereProtestants(11.18%Pentecostal, 11.16%Moravian, 0.7%Reformed(includingRemonstrants), and 4.4% other Protestant denominations), while 21.6% wereCatholics.Hindus are the second largest religious group in Suriname, comprising nearly one-fifth of the population (18.8% in 2020),the third largest proportion of any country in the Western Hemisphere, afterGuyanaandTrinidad and Tobago, both of which also have large proportions ofIndians. Likewise, almost all practitioners of Hinduism are found among the Indo-Surinamese population. Muslims constitute 14.3% of the population, the highest proportion of Muslims in the Americas. They are largely of Javanese or Indian descent.Folk religions are practiced by 5.6% of the population and includeWinti, anAfro-American religionpracticed mostly by those of Maroon ancestry,Javanism(0.8%),a syncretic faith found among some Javanese Surinamese, and various indigenous folk traditions that are often incorporated into one of the larger religions (usually Christianity). In the 2020 census, 6.2% of the population declared they had "no religion", while a further 1.9% adhere to "other religions".
Suriname has roughly 14 local languages, butDutch(Nederlands) is the sole official language and is the language used in education, government, business, and the media.Over 60% of the population arenative speakersof Dutchand around 20%–30% speak it as a second language. In 2004, Suriname became an associate member of theDutch Language Union.
Suriname is one of three Dutch-speaking sovereign countries in the world (the others being theNetherlandsandBelgium). It is also the only area in the Americas where Dutch is spoken by a majority of the population (as territories in theDutch Caribbeanall have other majority languages). Finally, Suriname and English-speakingGuyanaare the only countries inSouth Americaalong with the English-speaking British dependent territory of theFalkland Islandswhere aRomance languagedoes not predominate.
In Paramaribo, Dutch is the main home language in two-thirds of the households.The recognition of"Surinaams-Nederlands"("Surinamese Dutch") as a national dialect equal to"Nederlands-Nederlands"("Dutch Dutch") and"Vlaams-Nederlands"("Flemish Dutch") was expressed in 2009 by the publication of theWoordenboek Surinaams Nederlands(Surinamese–Dutch Dictionary).It is the most commonly spoken language in urban areas. The local languages are only more predominant than Dutch in the interior of Suriname (namely parts ofSipaliwiniandBrokopondo).
Sranan Tongo, a local English-basedcreole language, is the most widely usedvernacular languagein daily life and business among the Surinamese. Together with Dutch, it is considered to be one of the two principal languages of Surinamesediglossia. Both are further influenced by other spoken languages which are spoken primarily within ethnic communities. Sranan Tongo is often used interchangeably with Dutch depending on the formality of the setting; Dutch is seen as aprestige dialectand Sranan Tongo the commonvernacular.
Sarnami Hindustani, anIndo-Aryankoiné languageand the SurinamesevarietyofCaribbean Hindustani, is the third-most used language. It is primarily spoken by thedescendants of Indian indentured labourersfrom the formerBritish Raj.
The sixMaroonlanguages of Suriname are also considered English-based creole languages, and includeSaramaccan,Aukan,Aluku,Paramaccan,MatawaiandKwinti. Aluku, Paramaccan, and Kwinti are so mutually intelligible with Aukan that they can be considered dialects of the Aukan language. The same can be said about Matawai, which is mutually intelligible with Saramaccan.
Surinamese-Javaneseis used by the residents of Suriname who are descendants of theJavaneseindentured laborers once sent from theDutch East Indies(nowIndonesia).
Amerindianlanguages includeAkurio,Arawak-Lokono,Carib-Kari'nja,Sikiana-Kashuyana,Tiro-Tiriyó,Waiwai,Warao, andWayana.
Hakka,CantoneseandHokkienare spoken by the descendants of the Chinese indentured labourers.Mandarinis spoken by the recent wave of Chinese immigrants.
English,Guyanese English Creole,Portuguese,Spanish,French, andFrench Guianese Creoleare spoken at areas near the country's borders where there are many migrants from neighboring countries speaking their respective languages.
The national capital, Paramaribo, is by far the dominant urban area, accounting for nearly half of Suriname's population and most of its urban residents. Indeed,its population is greater than the next nine largest cities combined. Most municipalities are located within the capital's metropolitan area, or along the densely populated coastline; about 90% of the population lives inParamariboor on the coast.
Owing to the country's multicultural heritage, Suriname celebrates a variety of distinct ethnic and religious festivals.
There are severalHinduandIslamicnational holidays likeDiwali,Phagwa, andEid-ul-adha. These holidays do not have fixed dates on theGregorian calendar, as they are based on theHinduandIslamic calendars, respectively. As of 2020, Eid-ul-adha is a national holiday, and equal to a Sunday.
There are several holidays which are unique to Suriname. These include thePrawas Din(Indian), Javanese, and Chinese arrival days. They celebrate the arrival of the first ships with their respective immigrants.
New Year's Eve in Suriname is calledOud jaar,Owru Yari, or "old year".Firecrackerscalledpagaraswith long ribbons attached are detonated at midnight.
The major sports in Suriname arefootball,basketball, andvolleyball. TheSuriname Olympic Committeeis the national governing body for sports in Suriname. The majormind sportsarechess,draughts,bridgeandtroefcall.
Many Suriname-born football players and Dutch-born football players of Surinamese descent have turned out to play for theDutch national team, includingGerald Vanenburg,Ruud Gullit,Frank Rijkaard,Edgar Davids,Clarence Seedorf,Patrick Kluivert,Aron Winter,Georginio Wijnaldum,Virgil van Dijk, andJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. In 1999,Humphrey Mijnals, who played for bothSurinameand the Netherlands, was elected Surinamese footballer of the century.Another famous player isAndré Kamperveen, who captained Suriname in the 1940s and was the first Surinamese to play professionally in the Netherlands.
In 2021Surinameparticipated in their firstCONCACAF Gold Cupwhere they played against Costa Rica, Jamaica and Guadeloupe in Group C. Suriname lost its first two matches against Jamaica and Costa Rica, but ended third in the group following a 2–1 win against Guadeloupe.
SwimmerAnthony Nestyis the onlyOlympicmedalist for Suriname. He won gold in the 100-meter butterfly at the1988 Summer OlympicsinSeouland he won bronze in the same discipline at the 1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona. Originally fromTrinidad and Tobago, he now lives inGainesville, Florida, and is the head coach of the University of Florida swim team.
The most famous international track & field athlete from Suriname isLetitia Vriesde, who won a silver medal at the1995 World Championshipsbehind Ana Quirot in the 800 metres, the first medal won by a South American female athlete in World Championship competition. In addition, she also won a bronze medal at the2001 World Championshipsand won several medals in the 800 and 1500 metres at thePan-American GamesandCentral American and Caribbean Games.Tommy Asingaalso received acclaim for winning a bronze medal in the 800 metres at the1991 Pan American Games.
Cricketis popular in Suriname to some extent, influenced by its popularityin the Netherlandsand in neighbouring Guyana. TheSurinaamse Cricket Bondis anassociate memberof theInternational Cricket Council(ICC). Suriname and Argentina were the only ICC associate members in South America when ICC had a three tiered membership, although Guyana is represented on theWest Indies Cricket Board, a full member.The national cricket teamwas ranked 47th in the world and sixth in theICC Americasregion as of June 2014, and competes in theWorld Cricket League(WCL) andICC Americas Championship.Iris Jharap, born in Paramaribo, playedwomen's One Day Internationalmatches forthe Dutch national side, the only Surinamese to do so.
In the sport ofbadminton, another popular sport in Suriname especially with the youth, the local heroes areVirgil Soeroredjo,Mitchel Wongsodikromo,Sören Optiand alsoCrystal Leefmans. All winning medals for Suriname at theCarebaco Caribbean Championships, theCentral American and Caribbean Games(CACSO Games)and also at theSouth American Games, better known as theODESURGames. Virgil Soeroredjo also participated for Suriname at the2012 London Summer Olympics, only the second badminton player, afterOscar Brandon, for Suriname to achieve this.National ChampionSören Optibecame the third Surinamese badminton player to participate at theSummer Olympicsin 2016.
Multiple timeK-1kickboxingworld championsErnesto HoostandRemy Bonjaskywere born in Suriname or are of Surinamese descent. Other kickboxing world champions includeGilbert Ballantine,Rayen Simson,Melvin Manhoef,Tyrone Spong,Andy Ristie,Jairzinho Rozenstruik,Regian Eersel, andDonovan Wisse.
Suriname also has anational korfball team, withkorfballbeing a Dutch sport.Vinkensportis also practised.
In 2016, theSports Hall of Fame Surinamewas established in the building of the Suriname Olympic Committee and is dedicated to the achievements of the Surinamese sporters.
Suriname, along with neighboringGuyana, is one of only two countries on the mainland South American continent that drive on the left, although many vehicles are left-hand-drive as well as right-hand-drive.One explanation for this practice is that at the time of its colonization of Suriname, the Netherlands itself used left-hand traffic, also introducing the practice in theDutch East Indies, nowIndonesia.Another is that Suriname was first colonized by the British, and for practical reasons, this was not changed when it came under Dutch administration.Although the Netherlands converted to driving to the right at the end of the 18th century,Suriname did not.
As of 2003, Suriname had 4303 km (2674 miles) of roads, of which 1119 km (695 miles) are paved.
The country has 55 mostly small airports,of which only six are paved. 
The only international airport that supports largejet aircraftisJohan Adolf Pengel International Airport.
Airlines with departures from Suriname:
Airlines with arrivals in Suriname:
Other national companies with an air operator certification:
TheGlobal Burden of DiseaseStudy provides an on-line data source for analyzing updated estimates of health for 359 diseases and injuries and 84 risk factors from 1990 to 2017 in most of the world's countries.Comparing Suriname with other Caribbean nations show that in 2017 the age-standardizeddeath ratefor all causes was 793 (males 969, females 641) per 100,000, far below the 1219 ofHaiti, somewhat below the 944 ofGuyanabut considerably above the 424 ofBermuda. In 1990, the death rate was 960 per 100,000.Life expectancyin 2017 was 72 years (males 69, females 75). The death rate for children < 5 years was 581 per 100,000 compared to 1308 in Haiti and 102 in Bermuda. In 1990 and 2017, the leading causes of age-standardized death rates were cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes/chronic kidney disease.
Education in Suriname is compulsory until the age of 12,and the nation had a net primary enrollment rate of 94% in 2004.Literacyis very common, particularly among men.The main university in the country is theAnton de Kom University of Suriname.
From elementary school to high school there are 13 grades. The elementary school has six grades, middle school four grades, and high school three grades. Students take a test at the end of elementary school to determine whether they will go to the MULO (secondary modern school) or a middle school of lower standards like LBO.
Traditionally,De Ware Tijdwas the major newspaper of the country, but since the '90sTimes of Suriname,De WestandDagblad Surinamehave also been well-read newspapers. All publish primarily in Dutch.
Suriname has twenty-four radio stations, most of them also broadcast through the Internet. There are twelve television sources:ABC(Ch. 4–1, 2), RBN (Ch. 5–1, 2), Rasonic TV (Ch. 7), STVS (Ch. 8–1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), Apintie (Ch. 10–1), ATV (Ch. 12–1, 2, 3, 4), Radika (Ch. 14), SCCN (Ch. 17–1, 2, 3), Pipel TV (Ch. 18–1, 2), Trishul (Ch. 20–1, 2, 3, 4), Garuda (Ch. 23–1, 2, 3), Sangeetmala (Ch. 26), Ch. 30, Ch. 31, Ch.32, Ch.38, SCTV (Ch. 45). Also listened to ismArt, a broadcaster from Amsterdam founded by people from Suriname.Kondremanis one of the popular cartoons in Suriname.
There are also three major news sites: Starnieuws, Suriname Herald, and GFC Nieuws.
In 2022, Suriname ranked 52nd in the worldwidePress Freedom Indexby the organizationReporters Without Borders,a strong drop in the ranking compared to the 2018–2021 period (about location 20).
Most tourists visit Suriname for thebiodiversityof theAmazonianrain forests in the south of the country, which are noted for their flora and fauna. TheCentral Suriname Nature Reserveis the biggest and one of the most popular reserves, along with theBrownsberg Nature Parkwhich overlooks theBrokopondo Reservoir,  one of the largest human-made lakes in the world. In 2008, theBerg en Dal Eco & Cultural Resortopened in Brokopondo.Tonka Islandin the reservoir is home to a rusticeco-tourismproject run by the Saramaccaner Maroons.Pangiwraps and bowls made of calabashes are the two main products manufactured for tourists. The Maroons have learned that colorful and ornate pangis are popular with tourists.Other popular decorative souvenirs are hand-carved purple-hardwood made into bowls, plates, canes, wooden boxes, and wall decors.
There are also many waterfalls throughout the country. Raleighvallen, orRaleigh Falls, is a 56,000-hectare (140,000-acre) nature reserve on theCoppename River, rich in bird life. Also are theBlanche Marie Fallson theNickerie Riverand theWonotobo Falls.Tafelberg Mountainin the centre of the country is surrounded by its own reserve – theTafelberg Nature Reserve– around the source of theSaramacca River, as is the Voltzberg Nature Reserve further north on the Coppename River at Raleighvallen. In the interior are manyMaroonandAmerindianvillages, many of which have their own reserves that are generally open to visitors.
Suriname is one of the few countries in the world where at least one of eachbiomethat the state possesses has been declared a wildlife reserve. Around 30% of the total land area of Suriname is protected by law as reserves.
Other attractions include plantations such asLaarwijk, which is situated along the Suriname River. This plantation can be reached only by boat via Domburg, in the north centralWanica Districtof Suriname.
Crime rates continue to rise in Paramaribo and armed robberies are not uncommon. According to the current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of the 2018 report's publication, Suriname has been assessed as Level 1: exercise normal precautions.
TheJules Wijdenbosch Bridgeis a bridge over the river Suriname between Paramaribo and Meerzorg in theCommewijne district. The bridge was built during the tenure of PresidentJules Albert Wijdenbosch(1996–2000) and was completed in 2000. The bridge is 52 metres (171 ft) high, and 1,504 metres (4,934 ft) long. It connects Paramaribo with Commewijne, a connection which previously could only be made by ferry. The purpose of the bridge was to facilitate and promote the development of the eastern part of Suriname. The bridge consists of two lanes (one lane each way) and is not accessible to pedestrians.
The construction of theSts. Peter and Paul Cathedralstarted on 13 January 1883. Before it became a cathedral it was a theatre. The theatre was built in 1809 and burned down in 1820.
Suriname is one of the few countries in the world wherea synagogueis located next toa mosque.The two buildings are located next to each other in the centre of Paramaribo and have been known to share a parking facility during their respective religious rites, should they happen to coincide with one another.
A relatively new landmark is the HinduArya Diwakertemple in the Johan Adolf Pengelstraat inWanica, Paramaribo, which was inaugurated in 2001. A special characteristic of the temple is that it does not have images of the Hindu divinities, as they are forbidden in theArya Samaj, the Hindu movement to which the people who built the temple belong. Instead, the building is covered by many texts derived from the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures. The architecture makes the temple a tourist attraction.
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