Attribute | Value |
---|---|
Geography | |
Area | 163,820 km² |
Continent | South America |
Land area | 156,000 km² |
Water area | 7,820 km² |
Land boundaries | 1,907 km |
Border countries |
|
Coastline | 386 km |
Mean elevation | 246 m |
Lowest point | -2 m |
Highest point | 1,230 m |
People | |
Population | 609,569 |
Official languages |
|
Religion | Protestant |
Government | |
Long country name | Republic of Suriname |
Short country name | Suriname |
Long local name | Republiek Suriname |
Short local name | Suriname |
Former name |
|
Government type | Presidential republic |
Capital | Paramaribo |
Economy | |
GDP (PPP) | 8,688,000,000 USD |
GDP (OER) | 3,419,000,000 USD |
GDP (real growth rate) | 1.9 % |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | 14,900 USD |
Gross national saving | 46.6 % of GDP |
Labor force | 144,000 |
Unemployment rate | 8.9 % |
Population below poverty line | 70 % |
Budget revenues | 560,700,000 USD |
Budget expenditures | 827,800,000 USD |
Military expenditures | Add |
Taxes and other revenues | 16.4 % of GDP |
Budget surplus or deficit | -7.8 % of GDP |
Public debt | 69.3 % of GDP |
Inflation rate | 22 % |
Central bank discount rate | 10 % |
Commercial bank prime lending rate | 14.43 % |
Stock of narrow money | 1,158,000,000 USD |
Stock of broad money | 1,158,000,000 USD |
Stock of domestic credit | 1,608,000,000 USD |
Market value of publicly traded shares | Add |
Current account balance | -2,000,000 USD |
Exports | 2,028,000,000 USD |
Imports | 1,293,000,000 USD |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 424,400,000 USD |
External debt | 1,700,000,000 USD |
National currency | Surinamese dollars |
National currency (code) | SRD |
National currency (symbol) | $ |
National currency rate to USD | 7.53 |
First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. The Netherlands granted the colony independence in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared Suriname a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power. President BOUTERSE was reelected unopposed in 2015.