s: total: 5 km note: gauge unknown; used to haul phosphates from
the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast
(2001)

Highways: total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Nauru

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Airports: 1 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)

Military Nauru

Military branches: no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,103 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,710
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Military - note: Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal
agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues Nauru

Disputes - international: none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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Suriname

Introduction

Suriname

Background: 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 rule through
a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when
international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1989, the
military overthrew the civilian government, but a democratically-elected
government returned to power in 1991.

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: 1,707 km border countries: Brazil 597 km,
French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Coastline: 386 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation extremes: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest
point: Natural resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp,
bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% note