49 Facts About Suriname

Suriname is a small country on South America's northeastern coast.

It is distinguished by vast swaths of tropical rainforest, Dutch colonial architecture, and a cultural melting pot.

The capital, Paramaribo, is located on the Atlantic coast, near Fort Zeelandia, a 17th-century trading post.

Saint Peter and Paul Basilica, a towering wood cathedral consecrated in 1885, is also located in Paramaribo.

Previously, it was known as Dutch Guiana.

Suriname is at odds with Guyana and French Guiana over territory.

Suriname is South America's smallest country, while Brazil is the largest. Suriname is also the South American country with the fewest people.

Suriname's national dish is chicken with rice.

Suriname is also known as Surinam. The spelling "Surinam" was officially changed to "Suriname" in January 1978.

The Suriname River, also known as the Coppename, runs through the country. Suriname River is 480 kilometres long.

The Courantyne and Maroni rivers are the country's other two major rivers. All of these rivers flow north to the Atlantic.

Rainfall is heaviest in the country's central and southeastern regions.

There are nearly 350 fish species in the country's coastal and inland waters.

Suriname was a Dutch colony from 1667 to 1954.

Suriname became a constituent country of the Netherlands in 1954 and remained so until November 1975, when it declared independence.

Suriname is also the only territory outside of Europe where the majority of the population speaks Dutch. Dutch is spoken as a first language by approximately 24 million people and is the third most spoken West Germanic language after English and German. It is also widely understood in the Netherlands, Belgium, Aruba, and the Dutch Antilles.

Despite its small population, Suriname has a diverse population that includes people of various ethnicities, religions, and linguistic groups.

Indigenous people are thought to have lived in the area since 3000 B.C.

The name Suriname is considered to be a derivative from a "Taino" indigenous people called "Surinen". These people lived in the area at the time of European contact.

Suriname has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (1) Historic Inner City of Paramaribo (2002); (1) Natural Suriname Nature Reserve (2000).

Suriname's highest peak is Juliana Top. It's 1,286 metres above sea level.

Suriname has a slightly larger land area than the state of Georgia.

Suriname is well-known for its water lily and orchids.

Suriname is a major producer of bauxite in the world.

Suriname has one of the world's most diverse populations.

Suriname also has one of the world's largest rainforest protected areas, the Central Suriname Nature Reserve. It is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rainforest covers four-fifths of the country's southern half.

The majority of the country's land area, approximately nine-tenths, is covered by heterogeneous forest, which contains over 1000 tree species.

Suriname's largest land mammal is the tapir.

Suriname's first inhabitants were Indians. However, their population is now only a fraction of the total in the country.

Suriname's former colonial ruler, the Netherlands, is home to approximately 350,000 people of Surinamese descent.

Almost 45% of the population is between the ages of 25 and 54.

Suriname has a 1% population growth rate, while Lebanon has a 9.7% rate.

Following the announcement of the country's independence, a large portion of the country's population left and immigrated to the Netherlands between 1973 and 1980. Many of these people were professionals or skilled workers. However, many of the retired workers returned to Suriname in the early twenty-first century.

Suriname is a member of the Caribbean community as well.

The country has very little arable land, accounting for less than 1% of total land area. And only half of this land is cultivable.

Suriname's staple food is rice, which is also a component of the country's national dish, chicken with rice.

Rice is also planted on nearly half of the country's cultivated land. Every year, the country harvests two crops of rice.

Because forests cover 90% of the country, there is an abundance of timber resources.

Suriname is also rich in precious metal deposits, including gold.

Rivers and canals are important modes of transportation in the country because roads are underdeveloped.

Suriname is divided into districts and sub-districts to facilitate administration and control.

The country's education system is based on that of the Netherlands, and Dutch is the preferred language of instruction in schools. Children under the age of 12 are required to attend school.

Football, basketball, and volleyball are the most popular sports in the country. Suriname, unfortunately, does not have an official sports team for any of these sports.

Suriname is a popular destination for fishing and hunting.

"De Ware Tijd" and "De West" are two major Dutch-language independent newspapers.

Suriname abolished African slavery in 1863, and the country began importing workers from India and Java (an island of Indonesia).

In comparison to the rest of the country, the northern coastal strip of the country is densely populated.

The Brokopondo Reservoir, also known as the Brokopondostuwmeer and officially named Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. van Blommestein Meer, is a large reservoir in Suriname. It is one of the world's largest reservoirs, flooding nearly 1% of the country.

Water lilies, hibiscus, orchids, bougainvillaea, and oleanders are among the most abundant flowering plants in the country.