Portal:Suriname

The Suriname portal

Flag of Suriname	Coat of Arms for Suriname

Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforest, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in 2021 in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers (63,251 square miles).0 The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.

Suriname was inhabited as early as the fourth millennium BC by various indigenous peoples, including the Arawaks, Caribs, and Wayana. Europeans arrived and contested the area in the 16th century, with the Dutch controlling much of the country's current territory by the late 17th century. Under Dutch rule, Suriname was a lucrative plantation colony focused mostly on sugar; its economy was driven by African slave labour until the abolition of slavery in 1863. Approximately 300,000 enslaved Africans were taken to Suriname during the transatlantic slave trade, from the mid-1600s to the early 1800s. After 1863, indentured servants were recruited mostly from British India and the Dutch East Indies. In 1954, Suriname became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 25 November 1975, it became independent following negotiations with the Dutch government. Suriname continues to maintain close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the Netherlands.

Surinamese culture and society strongly reflect the legacy of Dutch colonial rule. It is the only independent state outside Europe where Dutch is the official and prevailing language of government, business, media, and education; an estimated 60% of the population speaks Dutch as a native language. Sranan Tongo, an English-based creole language, is a widely used lingua franca. Most Surinamese are descendants of slaves brought from Africa by Europeans, and indentured labourers brought from Asia by the Dutch. Suriname is highly diverse, with no ethnic group forming a majority; proportionally, its Muslim and Hindu populations are some of the largest in the Americas. Most people live along the northern coast, centred on Paramaribo, making Suriname one of the least densely populated countries on Earth.

It is a developing country with a high level of human development; its economy is heavily dependent on its abundant natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural products. Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization of American States. (Full article...)

View new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

The Surinamese Interior War (Dutch: Binnenlandse Oorlog) was a civil war fought in eastern Suriname between 1986 and 1992. The conflict primarily involved the Jungle Commando, a rebel group composed largely of Saramaka (Maroon) fighters and led by former soldier Ronnie Brunswijk, and the Surinamese National Army, commanded by then-army chief and de facto head of state Dési Bouterse. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images

The following are images from various Suriname-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Leatherback sea turtle on the beach near the village of Galibi (from Suriname)
Image 2Tjauw min moksi meti (from Culture of Suriname)
Image 3Rosebel gold mine (from Suriname)
Image 4Purcy R. Olivieira Sports Centre (from Suriname)
Image 5Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge over the Suriname River (from Suriname)
Image 6Maroon village, along Suriname River, 1955 (from Suriname)
Image 7The blue poison dart frog is endemic to Suriname. (from Suriname)
Image 8Maroon village, Suriname River, 1955 (from History of Suriname)
Image 9Slave auction in Paramaribo, in 1831 (from Suriname)
Image 10A Dutch plantation owner and female slave from William Blake's illustrations of the work of John Gabriel Stedman, published in 1792–1794. (from History of Suriname)
Image 11Brokopondo Reservoir surrounded by tropical rainforest (from Suriname)
Image 12A plantation in Suriname by Dirk Valkenburg (1707?) (from History of Suriname)
Image 13The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 14Seasons in Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 15A Sranan Tongo-language poetry sign located in Rotterdam, Netherlands (from Suriname)
Image 16Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (from Suriname)
Image 17The remains of the synagogue on the Jodensavanne (from Suriname)
Image 18Ethnic groups of Suriname (right) and Paramaribo (left)
  Creoles

  Hindus

  Maroons

  Javanese

  Indigenous
(from Suriname)
Image 19Diplomatic relations of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 20National Assembly of Suriname reconstructed building (from Suriname)
Image 21Butcher in the Central Market in Paramaribo with signs written in Dutch (from Suriname)
Image 22Suriname in 1914 (from Suriname)
Image 23Henck Arron, Beatrix and Johan Ferrier on November 25, 1975 (from History of Suriname)
Image 24Arya Diwaker temple (from Suriname)
Image 25Protesters stormed the National Assembly building in February 2023 (from Suriname)
Image 26The Coppename river, one of many rivers in the interior (from Suriname)
Image 27Presidential Palace of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 28Waterfront houses in Paramaribo, 1955 (from Suriname)
Image 29Map of Suriname with disputed territories in light green. (from Suriname)
Image 30Church of Sacred Heart in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 31Ketikoti celebrations in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 32Moengo Festival Theatre and Dance in 2017 (from Suriname)
Image 33Lion dance at Chinese New Year celebrations in Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 34Geology of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 35Suriname (circa 1914) in the Encyclopedia of the Dutch West Indies, by Surinamese cartographer Herman Benjamins and Dutch ethnographer Johannes Snelleman. (from History of Suriname)
Image 36Fort Zeelandia in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 37Javanese indentured servants in Marienbourg plantation, c. 1930 (from Suriname)
Image 38Coastline of the Guianas (from History of Suriname)
Image 39Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021). Suriname has the highest percentage of forest cover in the world. (from Suriname)
Image 40Immigrants from India (from Suriname)
Image 41Central Suriname Nature Reserve seen from the Voltzberg (from Suriname)
Image 42Franklin Essed Stadium (from Suriname)
Image 43School children in Bigi Poika, 2006 (from Suriname)
Image 44Pom (from Culture of Suriname)
Image 45Anton de Kom University of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 46Central Bank of Suriname building in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 47Districts of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 48Prime Minister Henck Arron, future queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and President Johan Ferrier on 25 November 1975 (from Suriname)
Image 49Ministry of Finance (from Suriname)
Image 50Presidential Palace of Suriname (from Suriname)
Image 51Court of Justice (from Suriname)
Image 52The population of Suriname from 1961 to 2003, in units of 1000. The slowdown and decline in population growth ~1969–1985 reflects a mass migration to the Netherlands and French Guiana. (from Suriname)
Image 53A Surinamese "broodje bakkeljauw" in the Netherlands (bun with shredded and spiced stockfish), with a chili paste made from Madame Jeanette peppers on the side (from Culture of Suriname)
Image 54André Kamperveen Stadium (from Suriname)
Image 55Pagara (red firecracker ribbons) (from Suriname)
Image 56Funeral at slave plantation, Suriname. Colored lithograph printed circa 1840–1850, digitally restored. (from History of Suriname)
Image 57A rice field in Nickerie District (from Suriname)
Image 58President Chan Santokhi (right) with Dutch politician Wopke Hoekstra, visiting to celebrate Ketikoti 2023 in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 59Plantations in Suriname around 1800. (from History of Suriname)
Image 60Synagogue and mosque adjacent to each other in Paramaribo (from Suriname)
Image 61Academic Hospital Paramaribo is the largest hospital in Suriname with 465 beds (from Suriname)
Image 62Suralco bauxite factory in Paranam (from Suriname)

Selected biography - show another

Geerlings-Simons in 2025

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (née Simons; born 5 September 1953) is a Surinamese physician and politician who has been the tenth president of Suriname since July 2025. A member of the National Democratic Party (NDP), she has been the party's president since 2024.

Geerlings-Simons began her career as a physician, working as a dermatologist, and later in the National HIV/AIDS program. In 1996, she joined politics and was elected to the National Assembly in the general elections. Shortly after the 2010 general elections, Geerlings-Simons was elected the chairperson of the National Assembly from 2010 to 2020, becoming the second female to hold this role. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

edit

Selected picture

Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

More pictures...

Map

edit

Topics

Largest cities or towns in Suriname ^[2]
Rank	Name	District	Pop.
1	Paramaribo	Paramaribo	223 757
2	Lelydorp	Wanica	18 223
3	Nieuw Nickerie	Nickerie	13 143
4	Moengo	Marowijne	7 074
5	Nieuw Amsterdam	Commewijne	4 935
6	Mariënburg	Commewijne	4 427
7	Wageningen	Nickerie	4 145
8	Albina	Marowijne	3 985
9	Groningen	Saramacca	3 216
10	Brownsweg	Brokopondo	2 696