Home > South America > Suriname
Suriname flag
Republic of Suriname
Republiek Suriname
   Suriname is located between the two Guyanas in the north of South America and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean; until 1975 it was a colony of the Netherlands (with the name of Dutch Guyana). The territory is largely hilly and covered by a dense rainforest, only the area adjacent to the ocean is flat and more suitable for population, also for this reason, in addition to the consistent migration to the former motherland, Suriname has one of the lowest population densities in the world.
Government type Parliamentary republic
Area 163,820 kmē (63,251 sq mi)
Population 542,000 inh. (2012 census)
Population 629,000 inh. (2024 est.)
Population density 3.8 inh/kmē (9.9 inh/miē)
Capital Paramaribo (241,000 pop.)
Currency Surinamese dollar
Human development index 0.730 (99th place)
Languages Dutch (official), Sranan Tongo (Creole-English), English, Hindustani (Hindi dialect), Javanese, Amerindian languages
Life expectancy M 70 years, F 76 years
Location in South America

Boundaries:

Guyana WEST
Brazil SOUTH
French Guiana EAST
Atlantic Ocean NORTH

GEOGRAPHY DATA OF SURINAME


Largest cities
Paramaribo 241,000 pop.
Koewarasan 27,700 pop.
De Nieuwe Grond 26,200 pop.
Highest mountains
Juliana Top 1,230 m (4,035 ft)
Longest rivers
Courantyne 725 km (450 mi) total, with part in Guyana
Maroni 725 km (450 mi)
Suriname 480 km (298 mi)
Largest lakes
Brokopondo Reservoir (artificial) 1,560 kmē (602 sq mi)

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF SURINAME

   At the administrative level, Suriname is divided into 10 districts with that of Sipaliwini which constitutes 80% of the territory, but hosts just 7% of the population; on the opposite, the small district of Paramaribo, only 182 kmē wide, is by far the most populated, with twice the number of inhabitants compared to the second.

   Only 10 inhabited centers have at least 10,000 inhabitants, 8 of which are part of the urban area of the capital Paramaribo, with the only exceptions of Nieuw Nickerie and Moengo.






Paramaribo