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Suriname is one of the three Guianas located at the northeastern corner of South America. It was a Dutch colony known as Dutch Guaina, located between the French Guiana and Guyana (former-British Guiana). It is bordered to east and west by French Guina and Guyana and to the south by Brazil. The country has a huge reservoir, the Brokopondo Reservoir. Several rivers run through Suriname. They include the Suriname River, Nickerie River, and Maroni or Marowijne River. There is a narrow coastal plain that has swampy terrain. Most of the population is found here. South of the coast, the southern four-fifths of the country considts of rolling hills covered with largely bundeveloped pristine tropical rainforest. The economy is largely based om agriculture and the extractionm of natural resources. Agriculture was initially based on sugar for which caotive Africans were imported to work as slaves in plantions. The Dutch played a major role in the Brazilian and Caribbean sugar industry. Natural resources include: timber, hydropower, fish/shrimp, forests, hydroelectric potential, kaolin (china clay), bauxite, and gold. Small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and iron ore. There is also a petroleum resources. Suriname is a major producer of bauxite (an aluminium ore). The contry began to export refined aluminium (1965), but this ceased (2000). Alluminum production was adversely affected by market cinditiins and the more accesable coastal mines are being exhausted. Gold and oil have become increasingly important in recent years. The population is very diverse, including Native Amer-Indians, Creoles (mixed European and Black), South Asians,and Javanese. The Blacks include both former slaves and Maroons -- escaped slaves. The colonial economy was based on the plantation production of sugar using slave labor. After slavery was abolished, few emancipated slaves wanted to work in the plantations. The area was at first colonized by the British. The Dutch began founding colonies (1616). The first Dutch colony was located in what is now Guyana. Colonization was conducted by the Dutch West Indies Company. The conflict between the British and Dutch was finally resolved as part of the international settlements following the Napoleonic Wars (1815). The Germans occupied the Netherlands during Wokd War II (1940), but Dutch colonies like Suriname supported the Allied war effiort. Suriname bauxite (an aluminium ore) exported to America and Canada played a major role in Allied aluminium production during World War II. The colony's name was changed (1948). Its status was changed to an internally autonomus member of the Dutch kingdom (1954). Surimame achieved independence in 1975.
Suriname is one of the three Guianas located at the northeastern corner of South America. It was a Dutch colony known as Dutch Guaina, located between the French Guiana and Guyana (former-British Guiana). It is bordered to east and west by French Guina and Guyana and to the south by Brazil. The country has a huge reservoir, the Brokopondo Reservoir. Several rivers run through Suriname. They include the Suriname River, Nickerie River, and Maroni or Marowijne River. There is a narrow coastal plain that has swampy terrain. Most of the population is found here. South of the coast, the southern four-fifths of the country considts of rolling hills covered with largely bundeveloped pristine tropical rainforest.
he first known Native American tribe was the Suinen. They had been suplanted by other Native Americans at the time of the European conquest (16th century). Columbus was the first European to sail along the coast (1498). The area was next visited by Amerigo Vespucci and Alonso de Ojeda (1499) Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (1500). Most of the major European colonizers (British, Dutch, French, and Spanish) attempted to found settlements in the 16th century, but were resisted by the Native Americans. The British founded the first settlement that proved successful (1651). They used slave labor as the Native Americans proved impossible to enslave. The Dutch during the Naval Wars (1652-74)with Britain seized the colony (1667). In the peace settlement that was in process, the British ceded the colony to the Netherlands, but retained Nieuw Amsterdam (New York). Since that time, the colony was ruled by the Netherlands. Suriname developed into a prosperous part of the Dutch Empire. Dutch planters who had settled in Brazil were driven out by the Portuguese (mid-17th century). Many restablished themselves in Suriname. As in the Caribbean, sugar became the main plantation crop. Other crops were introduced, including coffee, cacao, cotton, indigo, and wood from the tropical forrests (18th century). Labor was carried out by African slaves and they developed as the principal part of the population. Native Americans were driven inland. Most of the European population was Dutch. Jews fleeing persecution in Europe (Portugal, Spain, and Italy) had sought refuge in Brazil, but the Inquisition began to seek them out here. Some sought refuge in Suriname and came to constitute a third of the European population. Other Europeans were from France, Germany, and Britain. The British seized the colony for brief periods during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1802 and 1804-15). After the Napoleoic Wars, the Dutch recived permanenht possession. The Dutch abolished slavery during the American Civil War (1863).The Netherlands granted independence to Suriname (1975). This was followed by military coups andc civil war. The country today is a functioning democracy.
The colonial economy was based on the plantation production of sugar using slave labor. After slavery was abolished, few emancipated slaves wanted to work on the plantations which had essentially been death camps. So the plantation owners recruited workers in British India and Dutch Java. The modern economy is largely based om agriculture and the extraction of natural resources. Agriculture was initially based on sugar for which captive Africans were imported to work as slaves on plantations. The Dutch played a major role in the Brazilian and Caribbean sugar industry. Large-scale agriculture is still limited to the narrow alluvial coastal band. Small-scale farming is mostly conucted by the Hindostani and Javanese. Ruce is especially important as it is animprtantb partb of the cdiet. The largest rice farms are government-owned and operated. The country is self-sufficient in rice, some tropical fruits, and vegetables, some of which are exported. There is a small mostly artisanal fishing industry. Suriname is, however, a net importer of food. The agricultural sector only contributeda bouy 7 percentbof thev country's GNP. The Surinamese economy deteriorated more rapidly after independence than that of British Commonwea1th counties in the Caribbean area. Thec same occured in Guyana. Sugar contuinues to be procuced and there is production of rum. Coffee is also grown. Natural resources include: timber, hydropower, fish/shrimp, forests, hydroelectric potential, kaolin (china clay), bauxite, and gold. Small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and iron ore. There is also a petroleum resources. Suriname is a major producer of bauxite (an aluminium ore). The country began to export refined aluminium (1965), but this ceased (2000). Alluminum production was adversely affected by market conditions and the more accesable coastal mines are being exhausted. Gold and oil have become increasingly important in recent years. Employment data underestimate the participation of women in the economy. Women are commly involved in the informal sector such as market selling and subsistence agriculture.
We note a range of important demographic trends in Suriname. It is South America's smallest country with a little over 630,000 people (2023). By far the most important demographic factor is that most of the population is located in a narrow coastal band. This is the same area where the country's sugar plantations were located during the colonial era. There was virtually no penetration into the interior. The principal development into the interior is Brokopondo District, largely as aesult of Alcoa's operations. The interior does not seem o be condusibe to large-scale agriculture. There have also been major shifts in the age profile, although it still has a relatively youthful population. The median age in Suriname is about 28 years (2023). This is notable because as recently as 1970, the median age had declined to nearly 14 years which means that the average rate has doubled in less than two generations. The primary factor in The country's rising age profile is that the fertility rate has fallen. It was 2.3 (2023). This is only a little above the replacement rate of 2.1. There has been a steady fall in the fertility rate since the 1960s. These are big moves in a relatively short period and we are not yet sure just why. Life expectancy stands at 73 years, 69 years for men and 76 years for women. This has been a factor in the rising median age. Life expectancy has risen steadily since the 1950s and now stands close to levels in developing countries. A key health indicator is infant mortality. It stands at 14.3 per 1,000 live births and it has declined steadily since the 1950s. Suriname's population is centered in the capital and principal port of population. The population of Paramaribo is about 240,00 people. The urban population was over 50 percent (1955). There has been a slow, but steady increase nearly 63 percent (2020). Because the population is largely located in a narrow coastal band, the country has a low population density of 4 people per square kilometer / 10 people per square mile. With indepence mass migration to the Nethelands occurred (1970s). Suriname is a rare country reportingba population decrease. Some 300,000 Surinamers now live in the Netherlands. This is the largest foreign community of any country in Amricas. Most of the interior is virtually empty. Even so there is a degree of environmental degradation because of illegal gold miners due to illegal miners from Brazil and Venezuela.
We do not yet have much infomation on activities im Suriname. Surinamese holidays include: January 1 (New Year's Day), Id al-Fitr (end of Ramadan), Holi Phagwa (Hindu New Year, March/April), Good Friday and Easter Monday (March/April), May 1 (Labor Day), July 1 (Keti Koti, the Chains are Cut Emancipation Day, previously Day of Freedoms), November 25 (Independence Day), and December 25-26 (Christmas). Keti Kotia is an energetic colorful celebration each July. We have been unable to finf infornation on children's games.
We have some limited information on sport. As far as we can tell, soccer (football) is the most popular sport in Surinme as it is in most countries. Suriname players have played on Dutch teams. Football is popular because it is such an exciting game. It is especially the case because it can be played just about anywhere and tere is no expensive equioment. All you need is a ball. An boys in poorer countries like Suriname can often make do without the ball by creating various make-shift substututes. Beyond the street level, other soorts are palyed such as cricket, becaise it is popular in the Netherlands abs various nearby Engkish speaking countruies like Guyana and Caribbean island countries. Also played are basketball, table tennis, volleyball, swimming, and taekwondo. we do not know a lot about music in Suriname. Surinamese music is an exileratinjgb mixture from thevdiverse ethnic communities. One of the popular music sounds is Fra Fra Bigband. This is a mixed Afro-Caribbean jazz sound. There are two unique Surinames music forms. Both are heavy on percussion sounds, meaning that b oys and yioun men could participate with various metalic items and not expensive uinstruments. Kawina appeared in the late-19th century. After emancipation, the former slaves slaves had more time for some of the joys of lifev like music. Kawina developed into a major form of popular music for people from the city and the coastal areas of Surinam. The origin appearsc to have been work group chants on the plantations. Kaseko developed as the gthe dance and music of the Surinamese Creoles, the descendants of the enslaved African people. It has incorporated element western march music, chorales, jazz, calypso and other traditional music from the countries surrounding Surinam Afro-oriented folk tradition. The origins may be French Guiana. Popularity appears to have declined in recent years. A type of Creole folk music from Surinam, related to winti.
While Suriname is the smallest country in South America in both area and population, there is a considerable diversity in religion. This is due to the diverse nature of the population. The population before the arrival of the Europeans was Amer-Indian people with animistic religious beliefs. As a result of colonization and contact with the Europeans, the Amer-Indian population was decimated and this their religious beliefs largely disappeared. And the religious beliefs of the country are today those of the people who colonized the country and the people the colonizers brought into what after a seines of colonial wars became a Dutch colony. The Dutch were largely Protestant Christians, although they seem less fixed on evangelizing than the Spanish and Portuguese who dominated most if the rest of the continent. The sugar planters largely Christianized the African captives imported as slaves, although this process did not begin to any extent until the 19th century. The Christian nature of Suriname is, however, different from that of the Netherlands itself. The indentured laborers brought in from (northern India and Java) to replace the emancipated African slaves largely retained their religious beliefs. Suriname is the most multi-cultural nation in South America and also has the most diverse religious make-up. We have only dated relatively dated census data with religious information (2012). Christianity is the dominant religion, about half the population, but this is the smallest share in South America. Hinduism (20 percent) and Islam (15 percent) are the second and third largest religions, as a result of the Indian and Javanese indentured workers. The remainder is a number of small religious communities including the beliefs of the surviving Amer-Indian people and African religions which survived among the Maroon populations in the interior, both of which have been reduced by Christian missionaries. This also includes people who express no religious identity.
The population is very diverse, including Hindustani, Creole, South Asians, Javanese, Maroons, and others The Blacks include both former slaves and Maroons-- escaped slaves. This leaves Suriname with an extrodinarily diverse populations. The largest ethnic group is Hindustanis/East Indians. They rather than Blacks are the dominant population. This is because the death rate on the sugar plantations during the Slavery Era was so high. When the freed slaves refused to work on the plantations, the Dutch recruited indentured workers from India (mid-19th century). The British did the same for their Caribbean possessions. Most came from northern India. Over 35 percent of the Surimanme population is Hindustani. The Creole (mixed White and Black) population is another amjor group (30 percent). This is more of a cultural designation, including both Blacks and Mulattoes, mostly the offspring of slave women and Durch plantation owners. The
Javanese are another important group (15 percent). Java was a part of the Dutch East Indiaes and the Dutch recruited workers there as well. There is also a Maroon population in the interior, somes time referred to as Bush Blacks (10 percent). They are the decendents of captive Africans brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves to work the sugar plantations, but who escaped into the interior. Smaller groups include the native Amer-Inbian popukation (2 percent). They include the Arawak, Carib, and Warrau peopleswho live along the riverbanks and coastal plains. The Trios, Akurios, and Wyanas live along the upper reaches of the rivers. Chinese are also present (2 percent) along with Europeans (1 percent). And there are small numbers of various other groups.
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