First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. 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 exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power.

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

slightly larger than Georgia

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

deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities

smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; 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) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%

Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%

Suriname is a pluralistic society consisting primarily of Creoles (persons of mixed African and European heritage), the descendants of escaped African slaves known as Maroons, and the descendants of Indian and Javanese contract workers. The country overall is in full, post-industrial demographic transition, with a low fertility rate, a moderate mortality rate, and a rising life expectancy. However, the Maroon population of the rural interior lags behind because of lower educational attainment and contraceptive use, higher malnutrition, and significantly less access to electricity, potable water, sanitation, infrastructure, and health care.

Some 350,000 people of Surinamese descent live in the Netherlands, Suriname's former colonial ruler. In the 19th century, better-educated, largely Dutch-speaking Surinamese began emigrating to the Netherlands. World War II interrupted the outflow, but it resumed after the war when Dutch labor demands grew - emigrants included all segments of the Creole population. Suriname still is strongly influenced by the Netherlands because most Surinamese have relatives living there and it is the largest supplier of development aid. Other emigration destinations include French Guiana and the United States. Suriname's immigration rules are flexible, and the country is easy to enter illegally because rainforests obscure its borders. Since the mid-1980s, Brazilians have settled in Suriname's capital, Paramaribo, or eastern Suriname, where they mine gold. This immigration is likely to slowly re-orient Suriname toward its Latin American roots.

560,157 (July 2012 est.)

17.44 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

6.17 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

PARAMARIBO (capital) 259,000 (2009)

130 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

2.08 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.45 physicians/1,000 population (2000)

3.1 beds/1,000 population (2007)

urban: 90% of population

rural: 66% of population

total: 84% of population

urban: 10% of population

rural: 34% of population

total: 16% of population

fewer than 200 (2009 est.)

constitutional democracy

10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica

25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987

civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; note - the Commissie Nieuw Surinaamse Burgerlijk Wetboek completed drafting a new civil code in February 2009

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate court (justices are nominated for life); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

A-Combination (a coalition that includes the General Liberation and Development Party ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK], and SEEKA [Paul ABENA]); Basic Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD [Dilip SARDJOE]; Basic Party for Renewal and Democracy or PVF [Soedeschand JAIRAM]; Democratic Union Suriname or DUS [Japhet DIEKO]; Mega Combination Coalition (a coalition that joined with A-Combination and the PL to form a majority in Parliament in 2010 - includes the National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire BOUTERSE] (largest party in the coalition), Progressive Worker and Farmer's Union or PALU [Jim HOK], Party for National Unity and Solidarity of the Highest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], DNP-2000 [Jules WIJDENBOSCH], Union of Brotherhood and Unity in Politics BEP [Caprino ALENDY], and New Suriname or NS [Nanan PANDAY]); National Union or NU [P. VAN LEEUWAARDE]; New Front for Democracy and Development or NF (a coalition made up of the National Party of Suriname or NPS [Runaldo VENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ramdien SARDJOE], Democratic Alternative 1991 or DA-91 - an independent, business-oriented party [Winston JESSURUN], Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOE [Carl BREEVELD]; Party for the Permanent Prosperity Republic Suriname or PVRS [NA]; People's Alliance, Pertjaja Luhur's or PL [Paul SOMOHARDJO](includes D-21 [Soewarta MOESTADJA] and Pendawa Lima [Raymond SAPEON], which merged with PL in 2010)

Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE]; Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE]; Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]

ACP, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, 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

five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); a large, yellow, five-pointed star is centered in the red band; red stands for progress and love; green symbolizes hope and fertility; white signifies peace, justice, and freedom; the star represents the unity of all ethnic groups; from its yellow light the nation draws strength to bear sacrifices patiently while working toward a golden future

The economy is dominated by the mining industry, with exports of alumina, gold, and oil accounting for about 85% of exports and 25% of government revenues, making the economy highly vulnerable to mineral price volatility. Economic growth, which reached about 7% in 2008, owing to sizeable foreign investment in mining and oil, slowed to 2.2% in 2009 as investment waned and the country earned less from its commodity exports when global prices for most commodities fell. Trade picked up, boosting Suriname's economic growth about 4% per year in 2010-12, but the government's budget remained strained. Inflation rose from 1.3% in 2009 to 17.7% in 2011. In January 2011, the government devalued the currency by 20% and raised taxes to reduce the budget deficit. As a result of these measures, inflation receded to 6% in 2012. Suriname's economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition.

$6.685 billion (2012 est.)

$6.429 billion (2011 est.)

$6.173 billion (2010 est.)

$5.094 billion (2012 est.)

16.2% of GDP (2010 est.)

-2.2% of GDP (2010 est.)

12% (31 December 2012 est.)

11.75% (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.132 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.075 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$2.3 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$2.033 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.286 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.029 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products

$577.2 million (2012 est.)

$251.1 million (2011 est.)

$2.927 billion (2012 est.)

$2.467 billion (2011 est.)

alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas

US 23.9%, Canada 19.5%, Belgium 17.2%, UAE 8.9%, Norway 6.2%, Guyana 4.8%, France 4.1% (2011)

$1.838 billion (2012 est.)

$1.679 billion (2011 est.)

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods

US 26.1%, Netherlands 15.6%, UAE 8.6%, China 8.2%, Antigua and Barbuda 7.4%, Netherlands Antilles 5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Japan 4.1% (2011)

$1.048 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$726.8 million (2010 est.)

$504.3 million (2005 est.)

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar -

1.603 billion kWh (2009 est.)

1.463 billion kWh (2009 est.)

389,000 kW (2009 est.)

51.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

48.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

16,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

72 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

7,407 bbl/day (2008 est.)

14,100 bbl/day (2011 est.)

1,058 bbl/day (2008 est.)

6,430 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)

2.343 million Mt (2010 est.)

2 state-owned TV stations; 1 state-owned radio station; multiple private radio and TV stations (2007)

1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2011)

Paramaribo, Wageningen

Suriname Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (2010)

18 years of age (est.); recruitment is voluntary, with personnel drawn almost exclusively from the Creole community (2007)

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea arbitration to resolve the longstanding dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

growing transshipment point for South American drugs destined for Europe via the Netherlands and Brazil; transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing