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SURINAME
Image 1: Flag [1]
Image 2: Map [2]
Image 3: Map [2]
1.
Introduction
First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th
century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers
were brought in from India and Java. 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 exert control through a succession of nominally civilian
administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In
1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a
four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and
ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his
opposition coalition to power. [2]
2.
Basic information
2.1
General [3]
Original name: Republiek Suriname
Name: Suriname
Area: 163,270 sq km
Capital: Paramaribo
Population: 491,989 (2011)
Location: 53°-58° w.l., 1°-6° n.l.
Relief: Juliana Top (1,230 m) – unnamed
location (-2 m)
Landuse: 0% arable land, 0.08% permanent
crops, 99.58% other (2005)
Geobioms: tropical rain forest
Climate: tropical
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2.2
Political status [3]
Established: 1975
Governement type: republic
Regions: 10 districts
Time: GMT -4.5
Integration: OSN, SELA
HDI: 0.680 (2011)
3.
Map skills
Atlantic Ocean, Paramaribo, Nieuw Amsterdam, Amazonian rain forest
4.
Population and settlement
4.1
Demographics
The population of Suriname, according to Central Intelligence Agency data from 2011, was
approximately 492,000 (2,9 inhabitants per sq km) and 69% of the population was defined as
urban. The vast majority of people (about 90%) live in capital Paramaribo or on the coast. There is
also a significant Surinamese population in the Netherlands. In 2005 there were 328,300
Surinamese people living in the Netherlands, which is about 2% of the total population of the
Netherlands, compared to 492,000 Surinamese in Suriname itself.
Population growth rate is currently (2011) 1.087% and in last ten years was slightly decreasing.
Graph 1: Suriname demography [2]
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Most Surinamers live in the narrow, northern coastal plain. The population is one of the most
ethnically varied in the world. Each ethnic group preserves its own culture and many institutions,
including political parties. [1]
Largest ethnic (37%) is Hindustani, whose ancestors immigrated to Surinam in late 19th century to
do indention work. Other ethnic groups are: 31% Creols, 15% Javanese (Southeast Asians), 10%
Maroons (descendants of former African slaves), 2% Chinese and Amerindians (the original
inhabitants of Surinam), 1% white people (majority is Dutch, who used to be 5%, but most of them
emmigrated after the independence in 1975), Brazilians, Arabs and Jews. [2]
Colour/Races (2011)
Asian
54,00%
Brown (multiracial)
31,00%
Black
10,00%
Amerindian
2,00%
White
1,00%
Chart 3: Races of Suriname [2]
4.2
Religion
The predominant religion in the country is Christianity, both in the form of Roman Catholicism
and various denominations of Protestantism, the Moravian Church being the oldest and largest.
It is particularly dominant among Creoles and Maroons. The Creoles and to a lesser degree the
Maroons, both descendants of enslaved Africans, converted to Christianity during the colonial
period but may still retain their Afro-American religion called Winti. Most of the Indians are Hindu,
but some practice Islam or Christianity. The Javanese practice either Islam or Christianity.
Suriname's population is 19.6% Muslim, which is the highest percentage of Muslims of any
country in the New World. [1]
Religion
Hindu
27.4%
Protestant
25.2%
Roman Catholic
22.8%
Muslim
19.6%
Indigenous beliefs
5%
Chart 4: Religions of Surinam [2]
4.3
Language
Dutch is the sole official language, and is the language of education, government, business and
the media. Over 60 percent of the population speak it as a mother tongue, and most of the rest
speak it as a second language. It is the only Dutch, and one of the two non Romance-speaking
countries in South America (the other is Guyana, formerly British Guiana). In Paramaribo, Dutch is
the main home language in two-thirds of households.
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Sranan Tongo, a local creole language originally spoken by the creole population group, is the
most widely used language in the streets and often interchangeably with Dutch depending on the
formality of the setting.
Surinamese Hindi or Sarnami is the third-most used language, spoken by the descendants of
South Asian contract workers from then British India. Javanese is used by the descendants of
Javanese contract workers. The Maroons and Amerindians also use their own unique languages.
Hakka and Cantonese are spoken by the descendants of the Chinese contract workers. Mandarin
is spoken by some few recent Chinese immigrants. English, Spanish and Portuguese are also
used. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken by Latin American residents and their descendants and
sometimes also taught in schools.
The public discourse about Suriname's languages is a part of an ongoing debate about the
country's national identity. While Dutch is perceived as a remnant of colonialism by some, the use
of the popular Sranan became associated with nationalist politics after its public use by former
dictator Dési Bouterse in the 1980s, and groups descended from escaped slaves might resent it.
Some propose to change the national language to English, so as to improve links to the Caribbean
and North America, or to Spanish, as a nod to Suriname's location in South America, although it
has no Spanish-speaking neighbours. [1]
4.3
Rank City
Settlement
Population
Rank
City
Population
1
Paramaribo
250000
6
Mariënburg
4427
2
Lelydorp
18223
7
Wageningen
4145
3
Nieuw Nickerie
13143
8
Albina
3985
4
Moengo
7074
9
Groningen
3216
5
Nieuw Amsterdam
4935
10
Brownsweq
2696
Chart 5: Largest cities of Suriname [4]
5.
Economy (agriculture, industry, services, transportation)
The economy is dominated by the mining industry, with exports of alumina, gold, and oil
accounting for about 85% of exports and 25% of government revenues, making the economy
highly vulnerable to mineral price volatility. In 2000, the government of Ronald VENETIAAN,
returned to office and inherited an economy with inflation of over 100% and a growing fiscal deficit.
He quickly implemented an austerity program, raised taxes, attempted to control spending, and
tamed inflation. Economic growth reached about 7% in 2008, owing to sizeable foreign investment
in mining and oil. Suriname has received aid for projects in the bauxite and gold mining sectors
from Netherlands, Belgium, and the European Development Fund. The economy slowed in 2009,
however, as investment waned and the country earned less from its commodity exports when
global prices for most commodities fell. Trade picked up, boosting Suriname's economic growth in
2010, but the government's budget remained strained, with increased social spending during the
election. In January 2011, the government devalued the currency by 20% and raised taxes to
reduce the budget deficit. Its current GDP $4.711 billion. [2]
 Agricultural products:
paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest
products [2]
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 Industries:
bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing
[2]
 Natural resources:
gold, bauxit, alumina [3]
5.1
Transport
Suriname and neighboring Guyana are the only two countries on the (in-land) American continent
that drive on the left. In Guyana, this practice is inherited from United Kingdom colonial
authorities. The reason for the left hand drive in Suriname is explained by several sources. It is
thought that this is because the first cars imported were from England, but this is yet
undocumented. In addition, this view does not make statements on traffic before the automobile
era. Another explanation is that the Netherlands, at the time of colonization of Suriname, used the
left-hand side of the road for traffic, or that Suriname was first colonized by the English. Although
the Netherlands converted to driving to the right at the end of the 18th century, Suriname did not. [1]
Image 4: Synagogue placed next to the mosque
6.
[1]
Tourism
Most tourists visit Suriname for the outstanding biodiversity of the pristine Amazonian rain forests
in the south of the country, which are noted for their flora and fauna.
There are also many waterfalls throughout the country. Raleighvallen, or Raleigh Falls, is a 560 sq
km nature reserve on the Coppename River, rich in bird life. Also are the Blanche Marie Falls on
the Nickerie River and the Wonotobo Falls. In the interior are many Maroon and Amerindian
villages many of which have their own reserves, generally open to visitors.
Suriname is one of the few countries in the world where at least one of each biome that the state
possesses has been declared a wildlife reserve. Around 30% of the total land area of Suriname is
protected by law as reserves.
Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Paramaribo is the biggest wooden structure in the
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Western Hemisphere.
Suriname is one of the few countries in the world where a synagogue is located next to a mosque.
The two buildings are located next to each other in the centre of the capital. [1]
7.
Key studies
Gold mining – enviromental issues
In the Greenstone Belt region of Suriname, indigenous and tribal people are being poisoned by
mercury from gold mining. Little effort has been made to provide the people in a region with the
basic information needed to reduce their risk from exposure to mercury. Five Amerindian groups
and five culturally distinct groups of Maroons live along the main rivers in Surinames Greenstone
Belt region. They are now being poisoned with mercury as a gold rush draws thousands of
foreigners who are mining their lands. Since the early 1990s there has been an explosive increase
in gold mining activities in Suriname. It is estimated that between 10 and 60 metric tons of mercury
are used in mining and released into the environment in Suriname each year. The indiscriminate
use of mercury throughout the process is causing irreversible damage to the environment and
exposes both miners and the general population living in the region where mining occurs to toxic
levels of mercury. Currently, projects measuring mercury pollution from gold mining are conducted
without the full participation of indigenous and tribal communities. The indigenous Amerindians and
the tribal Maroons are displaced and dispossessed by this process, and live as an alienated
minority.
8.
Pictures
Image 7: Paramaribo[1]
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Image 6: Waterfalls
9.
Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOGLgYoe3Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C12g8j1EBog
Paramaribo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NODmgbq0gYM
National Anthem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZmGknQLd_Y
10.
Tasks

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What is the main enviromental problem in Suriname?
Which european countries took part in colonisation of Suriname?
Find out more about slavery and immigration in Suriname during colonial era
Who is Desire „Dési“ Bouterse?
What is interesting about Surinam religion?
11.
Dictionary
mosque, Hindustani, Creol
References:
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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suriname
[2] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ns.html
[3] http://www.zemepis.com/Surinam.php
[4] http://population.mongabay.com/population/suriname
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