Portal:Suriname

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The Suriname portal

Flag of Suriname	Coat of Arms for Suriname

Suriname (/ˈsʊərɪnæm, -nɑːm/ ^ⓘ SOOR-in-A(H)M, Dutch: [syːriˈnaːmə] ^ⓘ, Sranan Tongo: [sraˈnãŋ]), officially the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname [reːpyˈblik syːriˈnaːmə]), is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a medium level of human development; its economy is heavily dependent on its abundant natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural products. Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforests, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers (63,251 square miles).0 The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.

Suriname was inhabited as early as the fourth millennium BC by various indigenous peoples, including the Arawaks, Caribs, and Wayana. Europeans arrived and contested the area in the 16th century, with the Dutch controlling much of the country's current territory by the late 17th century. Under Dutch rule, Suriname was a lucrative plantation colony focused mostly on sugar; its economy was driven by African slave labour until the abolition of slavery in 1863, after which indentured servants were recruited mostly from British India and the Dutch East Indies. In 1954, Suriname became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 25 November 1975, it became independent following negotiations with the Dutch government. Suriname continues to maintain close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the Netherlands.

Suriname's culture and society strongly reflect the legacy of Dutch colonial rule. It is the only sovereign nation outside Europe where Dutch is the official and prevailing language of government, business, media, and education; an estimated 60% of the population speaks Dutch as a native language. Sranan Tongo, an English-based creole language, is a widely used lingua franca. Most Surinamese are descendants of slaves and indentured labourers brought from Africa and Asia by the Dutch. Suriname is highly diverse, with no ethnic group forming a majority; proportionally, its Muslim and Hindu populations are some of the largest in the Americas. Most people live along the northern coast, centered around Paramaribo, making Suriname one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. (Full article...)

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The COVID-19 pandemic in Suriname was caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Suriname on 13 March 2020. The case was a person who travelled from the Netherlands the previous week. On 3 April 2020, one person died. On 3 May 2020, all nine cases had recovered. On 18 May, an eleventh case was identified. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Suriname-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Pagara (red firecracker ribbons) (from Suriname)
Image 2A rice field in Nickerie District (from Suriname)
Image 3Synagogue and mosque adjacent to each other in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 4A Dutch plantation owner and female slave from William Blake's illustrations of the work of John Gabriel Stedman, published in 1792–1794. (from History of Suriname)
Image 5Henck Arron, Beatrix and Johan Ferrier on 25 November 1975 (from Suriname)
Image 6Academic Hospital Paramaribo is the largest hospital in Suriname with 465 beds (from Suriname)
Image 7Presidential Palace of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 8The population of Suriname from 1961 to 2003, in units of 1000. The slowdown and decline in population growth ~1969–1985 reflects a mass migration to the Netherlands and French Guiana. (from Suriname)
Image 9Map of Suriname with disputed territories in light green. (from Suriname)
Image 10Geology of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 11Districts of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 12Protesters stormed the National Assembly building in February 2023 (from Suriname)
Image 13Suriname in 1914 (from Suriname)
Image 14Purcy R. Olivieira Sports Center (from Suriname)
Image 15A plantation in Suriname by Dirk Valkenburg (1707?) (from History of Suriname)
Image 16Maroon village, Suriname River, 1955 (from History of Suriname)
Image 17Fort Zeelandia in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 18Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021). Suriname has the highest percentage of forest cover in the world. (from Suriname)
Image 19National Assembly of Suriname reconstructed building (from Suriname)
Image 20Maroon village, along Suriname River, 1955 (from Suriname)
Image 21André Kamperveen Stadium (from Suriname)
Image 22Plantations in Suriname around 1800. (from History of Suriname)
Image 23Butcher in the Central Market in Paramaribo with signs written in Dutch (from Suriname)
Image 24Pom (from Culture of Suriname)
Image 25Seasons in Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 26Central Bank of Suriname building in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 27Henck Arron, Beatrix and Johan Ferrier on November 25, 1975 (from History of Suriname)
Image 28Franklin Essed Stadium (from Suriname)
Image 29Diplomatic relations of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 30The blue poison dart frog is endemic to Suriname. (from Suriname)
Image 31Lion dance at Chinese New Year celebrations in Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 32Immigrants from India (from Suriname)
Image 33Waterfront houses in Paramaribo, 1955 (from Suriname)
Image 34Church of Sacred Heart in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 35Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge over the Suriname River (from Suriname)
Image 36Tjauw min moksi meti (from Culture of Suriname)
Image 37Ethnic groups of Suriname (right) and Paramaribo (left)
  Creoles

  Hindus

  Maroons

  Javanese

  Indigenous
(from Suriname)
Image 38Central Suriname Nature Reserve seen from the Voltzberg (from Suriname)
Image 39Javanese immigrants brought as contract workers from the Dutch East Indies. Picture was taken between 1880 and 1900. (from Suriname)
Image 40The remains of the synagogue on the Jodensavanne (from Suriname)
Image 41Ketikoti celebrations in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 42Moengo Festival Theatre and Dance in 2017 (from Suriname)
Image 43The Coppename river, one of many rivers in the interior (from Suriname)
Image 44Rosebel gold mine (from Suriname)
Image 45Ministry of Finance (from Suriname)
Image 46Presidential Palace of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 47Leatherback sea turtle on the beach near the village of Galibi (from Suriname)
Image 48A Surinamese "broodje bakkeljauw" in the Netherlands (bun with shredded and spiced stockfish), with a chili paste made from Madame Jeanette peppers on the side (from Culture of Suriname)
Image 49Suralco bauxite factory in Paranam (from Suriname)
Image 50Wopke Hoekstra with the President of Suriname, Chan Santokhi on the occasion of Ketikoti in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 51Suriname (circa 1914) in the Encyclopedia of the Dutch West Indies, by Surinamese cartographer Herman Benjamins and Dutch ethnographer Johannes Snelleman. (from History of Suriname)
Image 52Arya Diwaker temple (from Suriname)
Image 53Court of Justice (from Suriname)
Image 54The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 55School children in Bigi Poika (from Suriname)
Image 56Brokopondo Reservoir surrounded by tropical rainforest (from Suriname)
Image 57Anton de Kom University of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 58Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (from Suriname)
Image 59Funeral at slave plantation, Suriname. Colored lithograph printed circa 1840–1850, digitally restored. (from History of Suriname)
Image 60Coastline of the Guianas (from History of Suriname)
Image 61A Sranan Tongo-language poetry sign located in Rotterdam, Netherlands (from Suriname)

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Henck Arron in 1988

Henck Alphonsus Eugène Arron (25 April 1936 – 4 December 2000) was a Surinamese politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Suriname after it gained independence in 1975. A member of the National Party of Suriname, he served from 24 December 1973 with the transition government, to 25 February 1980. He was overthrown in a coup d'état by the military, led by Dési Bouterse. Released in 1981 after charges of corruption were dropped, he returned to banking, his previous career. In 1987, Arron was elected as Vice President of Suriname and served until another coup in 1990 overthrew the government. (Full article...)

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Johan Ferrier Anton de Kom Dési Bouterse Anthony Nesty Cynthia McLeod Pim de la Parra Elisabeth Samson Lou Lichtveld Boni (guerrilla leader) André Kamperveen Grace Schneiders-Howard Ronnie Brunswijk Sophie Redmond Chan Santokhi Karin Amatmoekrim Clarence Seedorf Edgar Davids Tyrone Spong

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Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

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Largest cities or towns in Suriname ^[2]
	Rank	Name	District	Pop.
Paramaribo Lelydorp	1	Paramaribo	Paramaribo	223 757	Nieuw Nickerie Moengo
	2	Lelydorp	Wanica	18 223
	3	Nieuw Nickerie	Nickerie	13 143
	4	Moengo	Marowijne	7 074
	5	Nieuw Amsterdam	Commewijne	4 935
	6	Mariënburg	Commewijne	4 427
	7	Wageningen	Nickerie	4 145
	8	Albina	Marowijne	3 985
	9	Groningen	Saramacca	3 216
	10	Brownsweg	Brokopondo	2 696