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A little bit of the Netherlands in South America? Well Dutch is still taught in schools here and when you drive by the streets the houses have Dutch looking exteriors. You are in Suriname, where the local ginger beer is called ‘gemberbier’ and the people are multi-cultural and the land has many natural resources that make it unique. It is not unusual to see monkeys swinging on the trees and boa constrictors crossing the well-travelled roads in Suriname where over eighty percent of the land is rainforests and where the Amazonian interior is pristine and sparsely inhabited.

So come and explore Suriname!

Suriname sure has a high rate of literacy – 93%!

Historically Speaking

Today, Suriname is an amazing mix of indigenous cultures, British, Dutch, the early African slaves, and later workers from China, India and Indonesia – all of whom have contributed to make this country a fertile ground for unequal experiences.

Most Asians first came into the country as contract laborers and gradually settled down, making Suriname their home. Creoles and Hindustanis are proud of the fact that they have lived peacefully with each other without making any place for rivalry. These two Communities are known to be at loggerheads in Guyana.

After having been a Dutch colony till 1954, Suriname became a self-governing state. After 21 years, it became independent in 1975. The development in the country has been unstable since its independence. In 1980 a coup brought a military regime to power. In 1987, a civilian government was elected only to be deposed by another coup in 1990. In 1991 another civilian government was elected but street demonstrations and strikes crippled the existing government.

Habitat

Suriname stretches over an area of 164000 sq km. It is about the same size as The US state of Georgia. The Corantijn River forms the border in the west, under dispute with Guyana when it reaches the south. The Marowinjne and Litani Rivers form the border with French Guiana.

Suriname has a narrow coastal area of that swampland that is used for farming (now that it has been drained) as you move further inland, you’ll be surrounded by mountainous rainforests with about 2,000 kinds of trees. Along the southwest border you can see the high samanna (grassy thinly wooded plain). Rivers flow north to the Atlantic oceans.