SURINAME GEOGRAPHY Total area: 163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Georgia Land boundaries: 1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km Coastline: 386 km Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area in Guyana between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne) Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 97%; other 3%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: mostly tropical rain forest PEOPLE Population: 402,385 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991) Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 39 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese Ethnic divisions: Hindustani (East Indian) 37.0%, Creole (black and mixed) 31.0%, Javanese 15.3%, Bush black 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%, Europeans 1.0%, other 1.1% Religion: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant (predominantly Moravian) 25.2%, indigenous beliefs about 5% Language: Dutch (official); English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others; also Hindi Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri) and Javanese Literacy: 95% (male 95%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 104,000 (1984) Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of Suriname Type: republic Capital: Paramaribo Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten, singular--distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana) Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987 Legal system: NA National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975) Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister, Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note--commander in chief of the National Army maintains significant power Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Ronald VENETIAAN (since 16 September 1991); Vice President and Prime Minister Jules AJODHIA (since 16 September 1991) Political parties and leaders: traditional ethnic-based parties--The New Front (NF), Henck ARRON, a coalition formed of four parties following the 24 December 1990 military coup--Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath LACHMON; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck ARRON; Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy SOEMITA; and Suriname Labor Party (SLP), Frank DERBY; promilitary New Democratic Party (NDP), Jules Albert WIJDENBOSCH, Frank PLAYFAIR; Democratic Alternative '91 (DA '91), Gerard BRUNINGS, a coalition of five parties formed in January 1991--Alternative Forum, Gerard BRUNINGS, Winston JESSURUN; Reformed Progressive Party (HPP), Panalall PARMISSER; Party for Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), Caprino ALLENDY; Pendawalima, Marsha JAMIN; and Independent Progressive Group, Karam RAMSUNDERSINGH; leftists--Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael NAARENDORP; Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan KROLIS Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 6 September 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--elected by the National Assembly--Ronald VENETIAAN (NF) 80% (645 votes), Jules WIJDENBOSCH (NDP) 14% (115 votes), Hans PRADE (DA '91) 6% (49 votes) National Assembly--last held 25 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(51 total) NF 30, NDP 12, DA '91 9 Member of: ACP, CARICOM (observer), ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT; Chancery at Suite 108, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-7488 or 7490 through 7492; there is a Surinamese Consulate General in Miami; US--Ambassador John (Jack) P. LEONARD; Embassy at Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo); telephone 597 72900, 77881, or 76459 Flag: five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band ECONOMY Overview: The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for about 70% of export earnings and 40% of tax revenues. The economy has been in trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in 1982. A drop in world bauxite prices that started in the late 1970s and continued until late 1986, was followed by the outbreak of a guerrilla insurgency in the interior. The guerrillas targeted the economic infrastructure, crippling the important bauxite sector and shutting down other export industries. These problems have created high inflation, high unemployment, widespread black market activity, and a bad climate for foreign investment. A small gain in economic growth of 2.0% was registered in 1989 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved international markets for bauxite. GDP: $1.35 billion, per capita $3,400; real growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1989 est.) Unemployment rate: 33% (1990) Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.) Exports: $425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood products, shrimp and fish, bananas; partners--Norway 33%, Netherlands 20%, US 15%, FRG 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 5%, Japan 3%, other 10% Imports: $370 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods; partners--US 37%, Netherlands 15%, Netherlands Antilles 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 3%, other 20% External debt: $138 million (1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 16.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 22% of GDP Electricity: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 5,090 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing Agriculture: accounts for 11% of both GDP and labor force; paddy rice planted on 85% of arable land and represents 60% of total farm output; other products--bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts, beef, chicken; shrimp and forestry products of increasing importance; self-sufficient in most foods Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.45 billion Currency: Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1--1.7850 (fixed rate) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned, and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track Highways: 8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay Inland waterways: 1,200 km; most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging from 4.2 m to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways Ports: Paramaribo, Moengo Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft Airports: 46 total, 42 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: international facilities good; domestic radio relay system; 27,500 telephones; stations--5 AM, 14 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations DEFENSE FORCES Branches: National Army (including Navy which is company-size, small Air Force element), Civil Police Manpower availability: males 15-49, 107,544; 64,146 fit for military service Defense expenditures: $91 million, 7.2% of GDP (1990 est.)