Suriname:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Suriname:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition 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 slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared 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 New Front coalition - returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since; the coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005.

Location	Definition Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
Geographic coordinates	Definition 4 00 N, 56 00 W
Map references	Definition South America
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries	Definition total: 1,703 km border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
Coastline	Definition 386 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	Definition tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain	Definition mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
Natural resources	Definition timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 0.36% permanent crops: 0.06% other: 99.58% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 510 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 122 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 0.67 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%) per capita: 1,489 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition NA
Environment - current issues	Definition deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

Suriname: Geography

Suriname:
Geography