Suriname

I

Introduction

Suriname, formerly Dutch Guiana, a republic of north-eastern South America, bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by French Guiana, on the south by Brazil, and on the west by Guyana. Also spelled Surinam, the country has an area of 163,265 sq km (63,037 sq mi). Its capital city is Paramaribo.

II

Land and Resources

Physiographically, Suriname consists of a swampy coastal plain ranging up to 80 km (50 mi) in width; a central plateau region containing broad savannahs, tracts of dunes, and forested areas; and, to the south, a densely forested, mountainous region. The numerous rivers include the Maroni (Marowijne), delineating part of the (disputed) French Guiana border; the Courantyne (Corantijn), delineating the (disputed) Guyanan border; and the Coppename, Saramacca, and Suriname rivers. The civil war (1986-1992) caused considerable damage to the country’s nature reserves and deforestation by the timber industry is a growing environmental problem. The most pressing issue in Suriname is the proposed sale of vast tracts of virgin forest—up to 40 per cent of the nation's land—to logging companies from South East Asia. The government wants to use profits from forest resources to offset rapidly increasing inflation and unemployment. Environmentalists, on the other hand, are encouraging ecotourism as an alternative industry and pushing for sustainable forest use.

Suriname has a relatively well-planned system of protected land—covering about 4.7 per cent (1997) of the country's area—that includes examples of most ecosystem types within the country. Lack of funding, however, limits the effective management of the system. The country participates in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, with one designated site, and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, under which three sites have been recognized. Suriname also takes part in the FAO Tropical Forestry Action Plan, a programme that promotes economic resource development in the context of conservation. Through the Amazon Cooperation Treaty, Suriname works with neighbouring countries to encourage resource conservation. The country is party to international agreements on endangered species, marine dumping, nuclear test bans, ship pollution, and whaling. Suriname’s chief mineral resource is bauxite.

A

Climate

The climate is tropical, with annual temperatures between 22.8° and 32.2° C (73° and 90° F). More than 2,032 mm (80 in) of rain falls per year in coastal areas, diminishing to 1,524 mm (60 in) in inland areas. Rainfall is heaviest from December to April, when floods often occur.

III

Population

Suriname has a population of 470,784 (2007 estimate), which gives a population density of about 2.9 people per sq km (7.5 per sq mi). Paramaribo, population 294,000 (2000 estimate), is the country’s capital, largest city, and chief seaport. About 77 per cent of the population lives in urban areas. The main ethnic groups are Asian Indians (Hindus), who make up about 37 per cent of the population, and Creoles (people of mixed African and Native American descent), who make up about 31 per cent of the population. There are also sizeable communities of Indonesians (15 per cent); Bush Negroes, who are descendants of blacks who escaped slavery long ago by moving to the interior (10 per cent); Native Americans, who are descendants of indigenous tribes (3 per cent); Chinese (2 per cent); and Europeans (1 per cent). Many Surinamers have emigrated to the Netherlands.