Background:

First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled
by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch
colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were
brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands
was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was
replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist
republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of
nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international
pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military
overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected
government - a four-party New Front coalition - returned to power in
1991 and has ruled since; the coalition expanded to eight parties in
2005.

Geography
Suriname

Location:

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:

4 00 N, 56 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 163,270 sq km
land: 161,470 sq km
water: 1,800 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,703 km
border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Coastline:

386 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain:

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m

Natural resources:

timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small
amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 0.36%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 99.58% (2005)

Irrigated land:

510 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

122 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.67 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%)
per capita: 1,489 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland
waterways by small-scale mining activities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Shi