Suriname

About Suriname

Suriname (pronounced "surinam", or something like "SOOR-ee-nahm" for English speakers) is a small republic on the northeast coast of South America. It prides itself on its thoroughly multi-ethnic culture, a colourful blend of indigenous ("Amerindian") traditions, those of its former Dutch colonisers, and especially those of the African, Javanese, and South Asian ("Hindustani") workers they once invited or trafficked in. It's a country with a fabulous and largely untouched Amazon Rainforest inland, slowly discovering its chances as an ecotourism destination. International visitors are steadily following Dutch travellers who have long been drawn to this friendly, tropical country to explore its spectacular nature, captivating cultural heritage and meet its ever smiling people. Formerly called Dutch Guiana, Suriname is tucked in between French Guiana in the east and Guyana (formerly British Guiana) in the west. Like these countries, it has more cultural and economic ties to the Caribbean than to the rest of South America. In the south the country is bordered by Brazil (though there are no road connections across this border) and in the north by the Atlantic Ocean. At just under 165,000 km2, Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. It had 576,000 inhabitants in 2018, half of whom lived in the exuberant capital, Paramaribo.

Wikivoyage: Suriname · CC BY-SA 4.0