Portal:Suriname

The Suriname portal

Flag of Suriname
Flag of Suriname
Coat of Arms for Suriname
Coat of Arms for Suriname
Map of Suriname.

Suriname (/ˈsʊərɪnæm, -nɑːm/ SOOR-in-A(H)M, Dutch: [syːriˈnaːmə] , Sranan Tongo: [sraˈnãŋ]), officially the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname [reːpyˈblik syːriˈnaːmə]), is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. Suriname is a developing country with a medium level of human development; its economy is heavily dependent on its abundant natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural products. Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforests, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers (63,251 square miles).0 The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.

Suriname was inhabited as early as the fourth millennium BC by various indigenous peoples, including the Arawaks, Caribs, and Wayana. Europeans arrived and contested the area in the 16th century, with the Dutch controlling much of the country's current territory by the late 17th century. Under Dutch rule, Suriname was a lucrative plantation colony focused mostly on sugar; its economy was driven by African slave labour until the abolition of slavery in 1863, after which indentured servants were recruited mostly from British India and the Dutch East Indies. In 1954, Suriname became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 25 November 1975, it became independent following 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 where Dutch is 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-based creole language, is a widely used lingua franca. Most Surinamese are descendants of slaves and indentured labourers brought from Africa and Asia by 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 Suriname one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. (Full article...)

Sign outside Anton de Kom University of Suriname

Anton de Kom University (Dutch: Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname) is the only university in Suriname. It is located in the capital, Paramaribo, and named for Anton de Kom, an anti-colonialist activist who was killed by the Nazis while in exile in the Netherlands. (Full article...)

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Official portrait, 2010

Desiré Delano Bouterse (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdeːsi ˈbʌutərsə]; born 13 October 1945) is a Surinamese military officer, politician, convicted murderer, and drug trafficker who served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020. From 1980 to 1987, he was Suriname's de facto leader after conducting a military coup and establishing a period of military rule. In 1987, Bouterse founded the National Democratic Party (NDP). On 25 May 2010, Bouterse's political alliance, the Megacombinatie ("Mega combination"), which included the NDP, won the parliamentary elections, and on 19 July 2010, Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname with 36 of 50 parliament votes. He was inaugurated on 12 August 2010.

Bouterse is a controversial figure, held responsible by some for numerous human rights violations committed during his military rule in the 1980s. Most notable were the December murders in 1982. He was prosecuted for the murders, and a trial was initiated, but the National Assembly extended amnesty to him in 2012. After the trial was forced to continue, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on 29 November 2019. He is also suspected of having directed the Moiwana massacre in 1986 against a village of Maroons during the Surinamese Interior War which pitted his government first against the maroon guerrilla group Jungle Commando, led by his former bodyguard, Ronnie Brunswijk, and then against the indigenous group Tucayana Amazonas. (Full article...)

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Map of Suriname

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Largest cities or towns in Suriname
Rank Name District Pop.
Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Lelydorp
Lelydorp
1 Paramaribo Paramaribo 223 757 Nieuw Nickerie
Nieuw Nickerie
Moengo
Moengo
2 Lelydorp Wanica 18 223
3 Nieuw Nickerie Nickerie 13 143
4 Moengo Marowijne 7 074
5 Nieuw Amsterdam Commewijne 4 935
6 Mariënburg Commewijne 4 427
7 Wageningen Nickerie 4 145
8 Albina Marowijne 3 985
9 Groningen Saramacca 3 216
10 Brownsweg Brokopondo 2 696
  1. ^ "Suriname - Summary". Climate Change Knowledge Portal. World Bank Group. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  2. ^ "Biggest Cities Suriname". www.geonames.org.

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