Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of
flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened
by new development; relatively small population, most of which lives
along the coast

Suriname People

Population: 433,998 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.62% (male 70,314; female 66,924)

15-64 years: 62.71% (male 138,969; female 133,193)

65 years and over: 5.67% (male 11,194; female 13,404) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.6% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 20.53 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.68 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.63 years

male: 68.97 years

female: 74.42 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.26% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 210 (1999 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%

Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%,
Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), 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

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93%

male: 95%

female: 91% (1995 est.)

Suriname Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Suriname

conventional s