Suriname

National name:
Republiek
Suriname

Government
Constitutional democracy.

Geography
Suriname lies on the northeast coast of South America, with Guyana to the west, French Guiana to the east, and Brazil to the south. The principal rivers are the Corantijn on the Guyana border, the Marowijne in the east, and the Suriname, on which the capital city of Paramaribo is situated.

Historical Background
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 rule through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian government, but a democratically elected government returned to power in 1991.

Name

Suriname

Capital

Paramaribo

Language

Dutch Recognised regional languages Sranan Tongo, Hindi, English, Sarnami, Javanese, Malay, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese, 

Government

Constitutional democracy-President Raïssa van Varsseveld

Area

Total 163,821 km2 (91st) 63,251 sq mi

Population

2010 estimate 500,050[1] (167th)-2004 census 520,050 [2]-Density 2.9/km2 (231st) 7.6/sq mi

Currency

Surinamese dollar (SRD)