The Republic of Suriname (also spelled Surinam) is a country in northern South America, in between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast.
Republiek Suriname
Suriname, the smallest country in South America, is situated on the Guiana Shield[?], the highest point being the Julianatop[?] (1,286 m above sea level). The land can be artificially divided into two parts. The northern, coastal area has been cultivated, and most of the population lives here. The southern part consists of sparsely inhabited tropical rainforest.
Lying near the equator, the climate in Suriname is tropical, and temperatures do not vary a lot throughout the year. The year has two rain seasons, from December to early February and from late April to mid-August.
Located in the north-east of the countries is the W.J. van Blommesteinmeer, a large reservoir lake.
The Surinamese economy is very dependent of other countries, its main trade partners being the Netherlands, the United States and countries in the Caribbean.
Main export products are bauxite and sugar, and Suriname has some oil and gold reserves. About a quarter of the people work in the agricultural sector.
The Surinamese population is made up of several minority groups. The large of them are the Hindustani, descendants of 19th century immigrants from India, about 37% of the population. The Creole, mixed white and black form about 31%, while the Javanese ("imported" from the former Dutch East Indies) and Maroons (descendants of escaped African slaves) make up 15 and 10 percent, respectively. The remainder is formed by Indians, Chinese and whites.
Because of the great number of ethnic groups in the country, there is no main religion. Most of the Hindustani are Hindu, but Islam and Christianity are also widespread.
While Dutch is still the official language of Suriname, Sranang Tongo[?], originally a Creole language, is considered the lingua franca. The Surinamese of Asian descent often also speak their own languages.
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