Encyclopedia
Suriname, officially the
Republiek Suriname, is a country in northern
South America. Other common names are
Surinam or
Sranang. It was formerly known as Nederlands Guyana,
Netherlands Guiana or
Dutch Guiana. It lies in between
French Guiana to the east and
Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with
Brazil and the northern border is the
Atlantic coast. The most southern parts of the borders with Guyana and French Guiana are disputed .
Suriname is the smallest country in
South America, in terms of population.
History
Native Americans of the Arawak and
Carib tribes were the first to inhabit Suriname in 3000 BC. In the
17th century, there were several attempts by the
Dutch and
English to colonize Suriname, with the Dutch eventually gaining stable control. The Netherlands, and therefore Suriname, had a system of slave labor, with slaves mostly of
African decent. The treatment of these slaves was bad, and many slaves escaped to the jungle. These Maroons often returned to attack the plantations. Slave labor was only abolished in 1863, making it the last European country to do so. However, slaves were not released until 1873. After that, laborers were imported from the
Dutch East Indies . In 1954 Suriname gained self-government, with the Netherlands retaining control of defence and foreign affairs. In 1973, the local government, led by the NPK started negotiations with the Dutch government about independence, which was granted at 25 November 1975. The first President of the country was Johan Ferrier, with Henck Arron as Prime Minister. Roughly a third of the population emigrated to the Netherlands, fearing that the new country would not be able to survive. A series of military coups in 1980 lead to the breakdown in Dutch-Suriname relations, but elections were held and a new constitution written in 1987. A coup in 1990 interrupted this, but elections were held again in 1991. With democracy, the Dutch government resumed aid. Since 1990, the four-party New Front coalition, led by
Ronald Venetiaan has held government. In recent years, developing the economy has been one of the most difficult issues for Suriname.
Politics
Suriname is a
democracy based on the 1987
constitution. The government's
legislative branch is the National Assembly, consisting of 51 members. These members are elected every five years.
The National Assembly elects the head of the executive branch, the president, by a two-third majority. If no candidate achieves such a majority, the president is elected by the People's Assembly, an 869-member institute consisting of the National Assembly and regional representatives.
Suriname is a full & participating member of the
Caribbean Community .
Administrative divisions
Suriname is further subdivided into 62
ressorts.
Geography
Suriname is the smallest independent country in
South America. Situated on the
Guiana Shield, the country can be divided into two main geographic regions. The northern, lowland coastal area has been cultivated, and most of the population lives here. The southern part consists of tropical
rainforest and sparsely inhabited
savanna along the
border with
Brazil, covering about 80% of Suriname's land surface.
There are two main mountain ranges in Suriname: the Bakhuis Mountains and the Van Asch Van Wijck Mountains. Julianatop is the highest mountain in the country at 1,286
metres above
sea level. Other mountains include Tafelberg , Mount Kasikasima , Goliathberg and Voltzberg .
Lying near the
equator, Suriname has a tropical climate, and temperatures do not vary a lot throughout the year. The year has two
wet seasons, from December to early February and from late April to mid-August.
Located in the northeast portion of the country is the
W.J. van Blommestein Meer, one of the largest reservoir lakes in the world. It was created in 1964 by the Afobakka
dam , built to provide
hydro power for the
bauxite industry and for domestic consumption.
In the upper Coppename River
watershed, the Central Suriname Nature Reserve is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site cited for its unspoiled rainforest
biodiversity. There are many national parks in the country: Galibi National Reserve, Coppename Manding National Park and Wia Wia NR along the coast, Brownsberg NR, Raleighvallen/Voltzeberg NR, Tafelberg NR and Eilerts de Haan NP in the centre and the Sipaliwani NR on the Brazilian border. In all, 12% of the country's land area are national parks and lakes.
Economy
The
economy of Suriname is dominated by the
bauxite industry, which accounts for more than 15 % of
GDP and 70 % of export earnings. Other main export products include
sugar, and Suriname has some
oil and
gold reserves. About a quarter of the people work in the
agricultural sector. The Surinamese economy is very dependent on other countries, with its main trade partners being the
Netherlands, the
United States and countries in the
Caribbean.
After assuming power in the fall of 1996, the Wijdenbosch government ended the structural adjustment program of the previous government, claiming it was unfair to the poorer elements of society.
Tax revenues fell as old taxes lapsed and the government failed to implement new tax alternatives. By the end of 1997, the allocation of new Dutch development funds was frozen as Surinamese Government relations with the Netherlands deteriorated. Economic growth slowed in 1998, with decline in the
mining,
construction, and utility sectors. Rampant government expenditures, poor tax collection, a bloated civil service, and reduced foreign aid in 1999 contributed to the fiscal deficit, estimated at 11% of GDP. The government sought to cover this deficit through monetary expansion, which led to a dramatic increase in inflation and exchange rate depreciation.
Demographics
Suriname's population of 438,144 is made up of several distinct ethnic groups. East Indians form the largest group at 37% of the population. They are descendants of
19th century immigrants from
India. They are from the Indian states of
Bihar and Eastern
Uttar Pradesh, in Northern India, along the
Nepalese border. The Creoles, mixed white and black, form about 31%, while the
Javanese make up 15%. Maroons make up 10% and are divided into five main groups: Aucans, Kwinti, Matawi, Paramaccans and Saramaccans.
Amerindians form 3% of the population , the main groups being the Akuriyo, Arawak,
Carib/Kaliña, Trío and Wayana. The remainder is formed by
Chinese, Europeans, and
Brazilian immigrant workers that have arrived in Suriname in recent times. A small
Jewish community composed of about 200 people, descendants of Sephardim who had earlier fled from Iberia to the Netherlands, also inhabits the country, mostly in Paramaribo; they have been supplied with the requirements for
Passover by the World Jewish Congress since the
1980s. They previously operated an autonomous region of Suriname called the "Jodensavanne", which was in the mid-seventeenth century one of the largest Jewish communities in the Western Hemisphere.
Because of the great number of ethnic groups in the country, there is no one main religion. Most of the Hindustani are
Hindu, but
Islam and
Christianity are also practised by them. Christianity, both in the form of
Roman Catholicism and variations of Protestantism, is dominant among Creoles and Maroons.
Dutch is the official language of Suriname. The Surinamese also speak their own languages: Sranang Tongo . This is a mix of several languages. Mainly Dutch, but also English, Portuguese and French, and the local languages. With a little effort, a lot of European people can recognize some words of it. Also, the original Carib and Arawak Amerindians of Suriname speak their own languages, as do the Maroons; Aucan and Saramaccan. The second largest language of the nation is
Sarnami Hindustani, a form of Bihari, which is a dialect of modern India's
Hindi language. Additionally,
English and
Spanish are also widely used, especially at tourist-oriented facilities or shops.
The vast majority of people live in Paramaribo or on the coast. There is also a significant Surinamese population in the
Netherlands. In 2004 there were 321,000 Surinamese people living in the Netherlands, which is about 2% of the total population of the Netherlands.
Culture
Due to the mix of population groups, the Surinamese culture is very diverse.
- Hinduism in Suriname
- Islam in Suriname
- Music of Suriname
Trivia
- The 1962 film The Spiral Road, directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, was filmed in Suriname .
- Chapter 19 of Voltaire's classic Candide is set in Suriname.
- Suriname has provided many of the greatest footballers to represent the Netherlands, such as Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf, Aron Winter and Edgar Davids. Davids in particular has written of his passionate pride in his Surinamese heritage and his love of attending football matches there.
- A European mercenary called Karl Penta organised a successful campaign to destabilise the military regime that ruled Suriname under the dictator, Dési Bouterse.
- Anthony Nesty is the only person to win a medal for Suriname at the Olympics. Interestingly, he is originally from Trinidad, not Suriname, and now lives in Miami, Florida, USA.
- In the film Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 [i] film directed by Jonathan Demme [i] and starring ...
Suriname is mentioned as the source of a shipment of butterflies. - Featured in the TV series the E-Ring.
Miscellaneous topics
...
- Military of Suriname
- Transportation in Suriname
-
Surinamese Footballers
External links
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- - Surinamese portal
- directory category
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