1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; moderated by trade winds
Coastline
386 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Georgia
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)
Environment
mostly tropical rain forest
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
Land use
NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 97% forest and woodland; 3% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and modest amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold
Terrain
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
27 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
37.0% Hindustani (East Indian), 31.0% Creole (black and mixed), 15.3% Javanese, 10.3% Bush black, 2.6% Amerindian, 1.7% Chinese, 1.0% Europeans, 1.1% other
Infant mortality rate
40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
104,000 (1984)
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
Life expectancy at birth
66 years male, 71 years female (1990)
Literacy
65%
Nationality
noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese
Net migration rate
- 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
49,000 members of labor force
Population
396,813 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990)
Religion
27.4% Hindu, 19.6% Muslim, 22.8% Roman Catholic, 25.2% Protestant (predominantly Moravian), about 5% indigenous beliefs
Total fertility rate
2.9 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
10 districts (distrikten, singular--distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Capital
Paramaribo
Constitution
ratified 30 September 1987
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 Richard HOWLAND; Embassy at Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo); telephone [597] 72900 or 76459
Elections
National Assembly--last held 25 November 1987 (next to be held November 1992); results--The Front 80%, others 20%; seats--(51 total) The Front 40, NDP 3, PALU 4, Pendawa Llwa 4
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
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
Independence
25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Ramsewak SHANKAR (since 25 January 1988); Vice President and Prime Minister Henck Alfonsus Eugene ARRON (since 25 January 1988)
Legal system
NA
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly
Long-form name
Republic of Suriname
Member of
ACP, ECLA, FAO, GATT, G-77, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Political parties and leaders
25 February Movement established by Lt. Col. Desire Bouterse in November 1983, but much of its activity taken over by New Democratic Party (NDP) in May 1987; leftists (all small groups)--Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael Naarendorp; Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan Krolis; traditional parties--Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath Lachmon; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck Arron; Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy Soemita; the VHP, NPS, and KTPI formed a coalition known as The Front in July 1987 that overwhelmingly defeated the NDP in the November 1987 elections
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
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
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.4 billion
Budget
revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)
Currency
Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents
Electricity
458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 5,030 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1--1.7850 (fixed rate)
Exports
$425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood products, shrimp and fish, bananas; partners--Netherlands 28%, US 22%, Norway 18%, Japan 11%, Brazil 10%, UK 4%
External debt
$65 million (1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$1.27 billion, per capita $3,215; real growth rate 3.6%
Imports
$365 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods; partners--US 34%, Netherlands 20%, Trinidad and Tobago 8%, Brazil 5%, UK 3%
Industrial production
growth rate - 3.1% (1986)
Industries
bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
50% (1988 est.)
Overview
The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for about 80% 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 both high inflation and high unemployment. A small gain in economic growth of 3.6% was registered in 1988 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved international markets for bauxite.
Unemployment rate
27% (1988)
Communications
Airports
47 total, 43 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
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
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
Merchant marine
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container
Ports
Paramaribo, Moengo
Railroads
166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned, and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track
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
Military and Security
Branches
National Army (including Support Battalion, Infantry Battalion, Mechanized Cavalry Unit, Military Police Brigade, Navy which is company-size, small Air Force element)
Defense expenditures
7.2% of GDP, or $91 million (1990 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 105,328; 62,896 fit for military service