Suriname

A

Religion

The main religions are Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.

B

Language

Sixteen languages are spoken in Suriname. Dutch is the official language, used by just under half the population as a mother tongue. Five Native American languages are spoken, notably Carib, of which speakers are found along the north coast, particularly the Albina area. About 150,000 speak Caribbean Hindustani (an Indo-Iranian language) as a first language. Caribbean Javanese, an Austronesian language, is a mother tongue for around 60,000 inhabitants. Five different English-based creoles are spoken as mother tongues in Suriname, including Sranan (120,000 or more), Guyanese Creole English (50,000), and Saramaccan (23,000). Sranan is used by 80 per cent of the population as a lingua franca to communicate across the many different languages spoken.

C

Education

Education in Suriname is free and compulsory between the ages of 7 and 12. In 1994-1995 Suriname had 280 primary schools with 62,613 pupils and 100 secondary schools with 29,554 pupils. The one university, the University of Suriname (1968), is in Paramaribo and had 2,750 students at the end of the 1990s. There is an adult literacy programme and the literacy rate in 2000 was 96 per cent for men and 93 per cent for women. In 1993 some 7.3 per cent of gross national product (GNP) was spent by the government on education.

IV

Economy

In 2006 the GNP totalled US$2,115 million giving a per capita income of about US$4,210 (World Bank figure). The mining and processing of bauxite (into alumina and aluminium) is the basis of the economy. Additional industries include timber-cutting, plywood manufacturing, and the manufacture of molasses and rum. Agriculture is confined mainly to the coastal plains area and the river valleys and has great potential for expansion. Rice is the chief crop. Other important crops include bananas, plantains, vegetables, citrus fruits, and sugar cane. Shrimp fishing along the coast is increasing in importance. The outbreak of guerrilla war in 1986 severely disrupted the mining and agricultural sectors and discouraged foreign investment. In 1994 the Surinamese currency collapsed, causing hyperinflation and a drop in national output. The currency improved in 1995, as did most of its economic indicators. Tourism is still undeveloped and there were 159,928 visitors in 2005, mostly from the Netherlands. Suriname’s foreign debt in 1993 was estimated at US$180 million. In 2001 exports totalled about US$306 million, with alumina, aluminium, shrimps, and bauxite predominating. Imports totalled about US$443 million, consisting mostly of fuels and industrial and consumer goods. Major trade partners are the Netherlands, the United States, Norway, Japan, the Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil. The monetary unit is the Suriname dollar of 100 cents (2.78 dollars equalled US$1; early 2008). The bank of issue is the Centrale Bank van Suriname.

A

Transport

Transport facilities in Suriname are concentrated in the northern part of the country. The nation has about 4,304 km (2,674 mi) of roads, 26 per cent of which are paved. There is a ratio of 238 motor vehicles per 1,000 people, and about 80 km (50 mi) of standard-gauge railway tracks. Transport on Suriname’s roughly 1,200 km (746 mi) of inland rivers and canals is very important. Paramaribo and Nieuw-Nickerie are the chief seaports, and Moengo, Paranam, and Smalkalden are important ports for shipping bauxite. Suriname’s principal airport (Johan Adolf Pengel) is at Paramaribo; Suriname Airways is the national airline.