p Pollution, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly
tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for
the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development;
relatively small population, mostly along the coast

People
Suriname

Population:

475,996 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.5% (male 66,695/female 64,356)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 156,961/female 158,234)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 12,868/female 16,882) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.5 years
male: 27.1 years
female: 27.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.099% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.48 years
male: 70.76 years
female: 76.39 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5,200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever, Mayaro virus, and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

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%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Mora