Travelling Club - Suriname

Fact Sheet: Suriname

• Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
• Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 56 00 W
• Area: total: 163,270 sq km
• Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
• Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
• Natural hazards: NA
• Population: 439,117 (July 2006 est.)
• Ethnic groups: Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%
• Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
• Languages: Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
• Government type: constitutional democracy
• Capital: name: Paramaribo
• Currency code: Surinam dollar (SRD)
• Exchange rates: Surinamese dollars per US dollar - 2.7317 (2005), Surinamese guilders per US dollar - 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003), 2.3468 (2002), 2.1785 (2001)
• Internet country code: .sr
• Airports: 47 (2006)