Map of Suriname | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to rule through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987 when international pressure finally brought about a democratic election.


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Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 163,270 km²
Land: 161,470 km²

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 386 km
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation

Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold

Land use
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 97%
Other: 3%

Irrigated land: 590 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 416,321 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 1.54% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Surinamer(s)
Adjective: Surinamese

Ethnic groups:

Languages:

Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.54% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 25.85 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.33 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: mostly tropical rain forest

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 32.4 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.14 years
Male: 66.65 years
Female: 71.76 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 95%
Female: 95%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Suriname
Conventional short form: Suriname
Local long form: Republiek Suriname
Local short form: Suriname
Former: Netherlands Guiana Dutch Guiana

Government type: republic

Capital: Paramaribo

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987

Legal system: NA

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
President: last held 6 September 1991 (next to be held NA May 1996); results - elected by the National Assembly - Ronald VENETIAAN (NF) 80% (645 votes), Jules WIJDENBOSCH (NDP) 14% (115 votes), Hans PRADE (DA '91) 6% (49 votes)
National Assembly:

Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister, Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note - Commander in Chief of the National Army maintains significant power

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT
In the us chancery: Suite 108, 4,301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 244-7,488 or 7,490 through 7,492
In the us consulate general: Miami
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John (Jack) P. LEONARD
From the us embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo
From the us telephone: 597 472,900, 477,881, or 476,459
From the us fax: 597 410,025

Flag description: five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width; there is a large yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for 15% of GDP and about 70% of export earnings. The economy has been in trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in 1982. A drop in world bauxite prices which started in the late 1970s and continued until late 1986 was and the bauxite sector recovered, a military coup in December 1990 reflected continued political instability and deterred investment and economic reform. High inflation, high unemployment, widespread black market activity, and hard currency shortfalls continue to mark the economy.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -2.5% (1991 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 10.4% of GDP and 25% of export earnings; paddy rice planted on 85% of arable land: and represents 60% of total farm output; other products - bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts, beef, chicken; shrimp and forestry products of increasing importance; self-sufficient in most foods

Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:

Labor force: 104,000 (1984)
By occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1990)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $417 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: alumina, aluminum, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
Partners: Norway 36%, Netherlands 28%, US 11%, Japan 7%, Brazil 5%, UK 5% (1989)

Imports: $514 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods
Partners: US 41%, Netherlands 24%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Brazil 4% (1989)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1 - 1.7850 (fixed rate until October 1992), 25.04 (January 1992)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 4,920 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 46
Usable: 39
With permanentsurface runways: 6
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 3

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1,200 km; most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging up to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways

Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa; claims area in Guyana between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Koetari Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs