Suriname is a small country on the northeastern coast of South America. It’s defined by vast swaths of tropical rainforest, Dutch colonial architecture and a melting-pot culture. On its Atlantic coast is the capital, Paramaribo, where palm gardens grow near Fort Zeelandia, a 17th-century trading post. Paramaribo is also home to Saint Peter and Paul Basilica, a towering wood cathedral consecrated in 1885. Suriname can be divided into two main geographic regions; the coastal lowlands of the north, and the tropical rainforests and savanna of the west and south. A few small mountain ranges dissect the fertile land, with the De Hann and Van Asch Van Wijck the most significant. Suriname is home to the WJ van Blumenstein Lake, one of the largest reservoir lakes on the planet; created by a river dam, it provides hydropower for many of the country’s industry. Almost 14% of Suriname is allocated to a series of National Parks (NP) and Nature Reserves (NR).
Suriname is a land of rivers, and major ones include the Coppename, Corantyne, Gran, Lucie, Marowijne and Saramacca.
Key Cities
Key cities in Suriname include: Paramaribo, Lelydorp, Brokopondo, Nieuw Nickerie, Moengo, Nieuw Amsterdam, marienburg, Wageningen, Albina, groningen, Broningen.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any number dates from the seventeenth century when it was a plantation colony utilizing slavery for sugar cultivation. Surinamese culture is very diverse and dynamic and has strong Asian, African and European influences. The population is mainly composed of the contribution of people from the Netherlands, India, Africa, China and Indonesia, as well as indigenous peoples who lived in the area, before the arrival of European settlers.
Brief Country History
Suriname is said to be first inhabited in the year 3,000 BC during the arrival of the first Indians in the country. The name Suriname may have come from a Taino group, an Arawak-speaking tribe called Surinen, which was first spelled Surinam by the first settlers at the Marshal’s Creek along what is now known as the Suriname River. It was in the 16th century when the country was discovered by French, Spanish and English explorer and in the 17th century when the Dutch and English established plantation colonies along many rivers of the country, and the Dutch brought in African slaves to cultivate coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, and cotton farms. The Netherlands abolished slavery in 1863 but it was only 10 years later that the slaves were released following mandatory work in plantations that gave them minimal pay. In 1954, the Dutch placed the country under a system of limited government, that is, the Netherlands would remain in control of the defense and foreign affairs. The year 1975 was unforgettable for Suriname when it was granted its independence by the Dutch but only for the democratic government to be sidelined by a military coup in 1980 and the torture and killing in 1982 of many citizens suspected of plotting against the government. This resulted in chaos in the country up the to the early 1990s.
In 2000, public discontent over a rising inflation rate forced elections of government officials. The New Front for Democracy, led by Ronald Venetian, after forming an alliance with A-Combination, a party representing the descendants of former slaves, won the elections, only to suffer heavy losses in the 2005 elections, although it remained as the largest party having the most number of elected members of the National Assembly.
Language (s) Written & Spoken
While Dutch is the official language of government, business, media, and education, Sranan Tongo, an English-based creole language, is a widely used lingua franca. Suriname is the only sovereign nation outside Europe where Dutch is spoken by a majority of the population.
Important Types of Commerce in Suriname
The Republic of Suriname is located on the northeastern Atlantic coast in South America and is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Brazil, to the east by French Guiana, and to the west by Guyana. It is South America’s smallest sovereign state, covering an area of approximately 64,000 square miles. It has a population of about 558,300 people of which the majority are living on the country’s north coast and in the capital Paramaribo. During the Dutch colonial period, Suriname was a chief sugar colony whose plantation economy depended on African slaves.
Language Services US and others will provide working with Suriname
Dutch is the national language of Suriname. To meet the needs of your clientele in the Suriname market it is important to translate and localize all your technical documentation, sales, and marketing literature, copyright, trademark and patent applications, M&A and partnership agreements, incorporations employment contracts, trusts and wills from and to Dutch. To target the Dutch-speaking market, you should have a complete understanding of Dutch translation and localization to enable your content (website, documents, software, etc.) to fully function for your intended audiences.
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