Suriname

Suriname is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. With just under 165,000 square kilometers (64,000 square miles), it is the smallest sovereign state in South America. Suriname has a population of about 575,990, most of whom live in Paramaribo, the capital and largest city, and the surrounding north coast.

Located just north of the equator, Suriname is a tropical country dominated by the rainforest. Its vast tree cover is essential to the country's efforts to mitigate climate change and maintain carbon negatives. As a developing country with a high level of human development, the economy of Suriname relies heavily on abundant natural resources such as bauxite, gold, oil and agricultural products.

In the 4th millennium BC, Suriname was inhabited by various indigenous peoples such as the Arawak, Kalinago, and Wayana. Europeans arrived in the 16th century, and the Dutch took control of much of the country's current territory by the late 17th century. During the Dutch colonial era, Suriname was a lucrative source of sugar, its plantation economy was driven by slave labor in Africa, and after the abolition of slavery in 1863, indentured servitude from Asia took place. In 1954, Suriname became one of the members of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On November 25, 1975, Suriname left the kingdom to become an independent state, but continues to maintain close economic, diplomatic and cultural ties.

Suriname is culturally considered a Caribbean country and is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Suriname is the only sovereign state outside Europe, and Dutch is the official and common language of government, business, media and education. According to a survey by the Dutch Union, Dutch is the native language of 60% of Surinamese. Sranan, an English-based Creole language, is a widely used common language.