Suriname

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

4 00 N, 56 00 W

South America

slightly larger than Georgia

386 km

tropical; moderated by trade winds

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

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

600 sq km (2020)

population is concentrated along the northern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

flooding

smallest independent country on the South American continent; mostly tropical rainforest; great diversity of flora and fauna; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 27.4%, Maroon (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 21.7%, Creole (mixed White and Black) 15.7%, Javanese 13.7%, mixed 13.4%, other 7.6%, unspecified 0.6% (2012 est.)

Protestant 23.6% (includes Evangelical 11.2%, Moravian 11.2%, Reformed 0.7%, Lutheran 0.5%), Hindu 22.3%, Roman Catholic 21.6%, Muslim 13.8%, other Christian 3.2%, Winti 1.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, other 1.7%, none 7.5%, unspecified 3.2% (2012 est.)

1.04% (2025 est.)

14.63 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

population is concentrated along the northern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)

84 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.9 (2025 est.)

1.36 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

26.4% (2016)

6.7% (2018 est.)

52.2% (2018 est.)

presidential republic

civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

royal palm, faya lobi (flower)

green, white, red, yellow

upper middle-income South American economy; new floating currency regime; key aluminum goods, gold, and hydrocarbon exporter; new IMF plan for economic recovery and fiscal sustainability; controversial hardwood industry

$4.714 billion (2024 est.)

rice, sugarcane, oranges, vegetables, chicken, cassava, plantains, pineapples, eggs, citrus fruits (2023)

gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing

2.1% (2023 est.)

255,500 (2024 est.)

Switzerland 49%, UAE 28%, Guyana 5%, USA 4%, France 3% (2023)

gold, fish, refined petroleum, wood, tobacco (2023)

USA 22%, China 12%, Netherlands 11%, Trinidad & Tobago 9%, Guyana 8% (2023)

refined petroleum, ships, excavation machinery, trucks, tobacco (2023)

2 state-owned TV stations; 1 state-owned radio station; multiple private radio and TV stations (2019)

.sr

PZ

55 (2025)

1 (2025)

approximately 2,000 National Army (2025)

the Suriname Army has a limited inventory of older or secondhand armaments originating from such suppliers as Brazil, France, the Netherlands, and India (2025)

18-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

the National Leger is responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Suriname against foreign aggression; other special tasks include border control and supporting domestic security as required; the military police, for example, have direct responsibility for immigration control at the country’s ports of entry, and the military assists the police in combating crime, particularly narco-trafficking, including joint military and police patrols, as well as joint special security teams; in addition, the military provides aid and assistance during times of natural emergencies and participates in socio-economic development projects (2025)