Area Total | 163,820 sq km |
Climate | tropical; moderated by trade winds |
Natural Resources | timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, and iron ore |
Imports | $1.293 billion (2017 est.) partners: US 30.6%, Netherlands 14.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 11.4%, China 7.6% (2017) |
Exports | $2.028 billion (2017 est.) partners: Switzerland 38%, Hong Kong 21.9%, Belgium 10.1%, UAE 7.2%, Guyana 6.1% (2017) |
Government | presidential republic |
Capital | Paramaribo |
Population | 597,900 (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Hindustani 27.4%, Maroon 21.7%, Creole 15.7%, Javanese 13.7%, mixed 13.4%, other 7.6%, unspecified 0.6% (2012 est.) |
Language | Dutch (official), English, Sranang Tongo, Caribbean Hindustani, Javanese |
News about Suriname
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Suriname election: can pandemic help outlaw leader get away with murder?
by Mat Youkee on May 21, 2020
Coronavirus has stalled opposition’s momentum against president who was recently found guilty of mass murder as country heads into an electionWith the economy in tatters, corruption scandals piling up – and a recent mass murder conviction to add to his previous guilty verdicts for drug trafficking, it seemed until recently that President Desi […]
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Ecosystems the size of Amazon 'can collapse within decades'
by Jonathan Watts Global environment editor on March 10, 2020
Large biomes can break down like Jenga bricks once tipping point reached, research findsEven large ecosystems the size of the Amazon rainforest can collapse in a few decades, according to a study that shows bigger biomes break up relatively faster than small ones.The research reveals that once a tipping point has been passed, breakdowns do not occur […]
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Suriname president guilty of murder over 1982 executions
by Reuters on November 30, 2019
Desi Bouterse found guilty by military court over abduction and murder of 15 government critics in wake of coupA court in Suriname has convicted the country’s president, Desi Bouterse, of murder for the execution of 15 opponents in 1982 following a coup. The man who has dominated the former Dutch colony’s recent history was sentenced to 20 years in […]
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Stones Have Laws review – captivating stories of ancestors, forest gods and modern life
by Leslie Felperin on August 7, 2019
This collaborative documentary about Surinamese Maroon people mixes ancient storytelling with new forms of film-making This meditative, heart-slowing documentary gives the directing credit to trio of film-makers from the Netherlands, but the end-titles explain in some detail that the film is essentially a collaboration between the Europeans and the […]
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The forgotten story of … the Colourful XI tragedy
by Nick Miller on October 12, 2017
Fifteen Dutch footballers were among 176 people who died in a 1989 plane crash. Edu Nandlal, one of the survivors, tells his story of the disasterEdu Nandlal couldn’t sleep. Many of the other passengers on Surinam Airways flight 764 from Amsterdam Schiphol to Paramaribo Zanderij had decided to get some rest on the 12-hour journey. But this was the first […]