earth
stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,621,469; 3,437,004 fit for military
service; 273,011 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $610 million (1989 est)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Suriname
- Geography
Total area: 163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries: 1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km,
Guyana 600 km

Coastline: 386 km

Maritime claims:

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and
Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area in Guyana between
New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the
Courantyne)

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp,
bauxite, iron ore, and modest amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold

Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and
pastures; 97% forest and woodland; 3% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: mostly tropical rain forest

- People
Population: 396,813 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990)

Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese

Ethnic divisions: 37.0% Hindustani (East Indian), 31.0% Creole (black and
mixed), 15.3% Javanese, 10.3% Bush black, 2.6% Amerindian, 1.7% Chinese,
1.0% Europeans, 1.1% other

Religion: 27.4% Hindu, 19.6% Muslim, 22.8% Roman Catholic,
25.2% Protestant (predominantly Moravian), about 5% indigenous beliefs

Language: Dutch (official); English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo
(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles and much
of the younger population and is lingua franca among others; also Hindi
Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri), and Javanese

Literacy: 65%

Labor force: 104,000 (1984)

Organized labor: