Suriname << `sur` ree NAHM uh or SOOR uh `nahm` >> is a country on the northeast coast of South America. The country’s name is also spelled Surinam. Mountainous rain forests cover about 80 percent of Suriname, and most of the people live in the flat coastal area. Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America, both in area and population. About half of the people live in Paramaribo, the capital, largest city, and chief port. The Netherlands ruled the country during most of the period from 1667 until 1975, when Suriname gained independence.
Government.
The people elect 51 members to a National Assembly for five-year terms. The National Assembly passes the country’s laws and elects a president and vice president for five-year terms. The president heads the government. The president appoints a Council of Ministers, who help carry out the operations of the government. The vice president presides over the Council of Ministers. A Council of State composed of civilian and military members has an advisory role in the government. In addition, the council can veto laws passed by the National Assembly. The president chairs the Council of State.
People
of many ethnic backgrounds live in Suriname. Hindustanis, who are descendants of people from India, make up more than a third of the country’s population. Creoles—people with both European and Black African ancestry—make up about a third. Other population groups, from largest to smallest, include Indonesians, Maroons, Indigenous (native) people, Chinese, and Europeans. Maroons are the descendants of Black Africans who escaped from slavery in the 1600’s and 1700’s.
Each ethnic group in Suriname has preserved its own culture, religion, and language. Dutch is the nation’s official language. But the most commonly used language is Sranan Tongo, also called Suriname Creole. Sranan Tongo combines elements of English, Dutch, and several African languages. Many Surinamese also speak English.
Some Hindustanis own small farms. Others are skilled industrial workers. Most Creoles work in government or for businesses. Many Indonesians are tenant farmers, who rent their land from large landowners. Most Maroons live in the rain forests and follow African customs.
Most of Suriname’s adults can read and write. The law requires children from 7 to 12 years old to attend elementary school, and some students continue on to high school. Suriname has one university, just outside of Paramaribo.
Land and climate.
Suriname has a narrow coastal area of flat swampland that has been drained for farming. This area extends inland 10 to 50 miles (16 to 80 kilometers) to a sandy plain that rises about 150 feet (46 meters) high. Mountainous rain forests with about 2,000 kinds of trees lie farther inland, and a high savanna (grassy, thinly wooded plain) runs along the country’s southwest border. Rivers flow north to the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname is warm and moist, with an average annual temperature of 81 °F (27 °C). The annual rainfall averages 76 inches (193 centimeters) in western Suriname and 95 inches (241 centimeters) in Paramaribo.
Economy.
Suriname’s economy is largely based on mining and metal processing. Suriname produces large amounts of gold. Gold and petroleum account for most of the country’s exports.
Agriculture is also an important part of Suriname’s economy. Rice, a major export crop, is the leading agricultural product. Other crops include bananas, oranges, plantains, and sugar cane. Farmers raise beef and dairy cattle, chickens, and hogs. The forests yield a large supply of hardwoods from which Suriname’s lumber industry produces logs and plywood. Fishing is also an important industry. 
Much of Suriname’s road system is unpaved, and its railroad service is limited. The country’s extensive system of rivers is also used for transportation. An international airport operates near Zanderij. Suriname’s chief port is in Paramaribo.
History.
The Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus sighted what is now Suriname in 1498, and Spaniards and Portuguese explored the area during the 1500’s. In 1651, British explorers built the first permanent settlement there. They established cotton and sugar cane plantations and brought enslaved Africans to work the land. In 1667, the Dutch took control of Suriname and in exchange gave the British what became the state of New York.
Suriname’s economy declined in the 1700’s because of the uprisings of enslaved people and Dutch neglect. In the early 1800’s, ownership shifted several times between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In 1815, the British gave up their claim to Suriname, and the Dutch regained control. The Dutch abolished slavery in 1863 and brought laborers from India and Indonesia to work on the plantations. However, plantation farming declined in the early 1900’s, and many people moved to urban areas.
Suriname became a self-governing Dutch territory in 1954. During the 1970’s, the Creoles led a movement for full independence, which was supported by the Dutch government. But the Hindustanis opposed independence, leading to conflicts between the two groups. Suriname gained independence on Nov. 25, 1975. It adopted a democratic form of government, in which the people elected a Parliament. Shortly before independence, thousands of Suriname’s people emigrated to the Netherlands. The emigration caused a shortage of skilled labor and greatly restricted economic development in Suriname.
In 1980, a group of noncommissioned officers in Suriname’s armed forces seized control of the country’s government and abolished the Parliament. The group’s leader, Desi Bouterse, ruled Suriname as a dictator. Bouterse and the military were accused of corruption and drug trafficking and numerous human rights violations.
In 1987, Bouterse and the military allowed democratic elections. Voters elected a new legislature, the National Assembly, and the legislature elected a president in 1988. The military retook control of the nation in 1990, but civilian rule returned to Suriname in 1991. The National Assembly elected Ronald Venetiaan as the nation’s new president. Jules Wijdenbosch was elected president in 1996, and Venetiaan was reelected in 2000 and 2005.
In 2007, Bouterse went on trial for the killing of 15 political opponents in 1982. Nevertheless, he was elected president in 2010 and 2015. In 2019, Bouterse was convicted of the killings. Bouterse’s party lost legislative elections in 2020. The National Assembly then chose Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi, a former police chief, as president. At the time, Suriname’s economy was in crisis.
See also Maroons; Paramaribo.
