BACKGROUND ON NATION

GEOGRAPHY

Location: Northern South America
Neighbors: North Atlantic Ocean to N, French Guiana to E, Brazil to S, Guyana to W
Area:

Total: 163,270 sq km

Land: 161,470 sq km

Water: 1,800 sq km

Coastline: 386 km
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Major cities: Paramaribo (capital) 200,970
Major airports: with paved runways: 5 (name 3 largest) – names from mission at UN meeting
Major tourist attractions: (list 3) – names from mission at UN meeting

PEOPLE

Population: 435,449 (July 2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese
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%
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
Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%

GOVERNMENT

Type: constitutional democracy
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands)
Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987
Legal system: based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory
Heads of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2005); Vice President Ramdin Sardjoe (since 12 August 2005)
Structure: executive, unicameral National Assembly, judicial branch
International organization participation: ACP, Caricom, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO Joined United Nations: 4 Dec.1975

ECONOMY

Currency: Surinamese guilder (SRG)
Labor force: 100,000
Labor force by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Major industries: bauxite and gold mining, alumina production, oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing
Major agriculture products: paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; forest products; shrimp
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Exports: $445 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports – commodities: alumina, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
Exports – partners: US 25.3%, Norway 20.4%, France 8.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.4%, Iceland 6%, Canada 5.9%, Netherlands 5.6% (2002)
Imports: $300 million f.o.b. (2002)
Imports – commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods
Imports – partners: US 22.2%, Netherlands 15.6%, China 11.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 11.2%, France 7.5%, Netherlands Antilles 7.2%, Japan 5.7% (2002)