Suriname

The Suriname or Surinam (before independence sometimes called Guyana Dutchwoman ) is a country located in South America. The border with the French Guiana (to 270 km of Cayenne) is established on the river Maroni.

French orthography

The orthography Surinam is an old alternative. One finds in particular this orthography in the Candide of Voltaire. Today, the orthography Suriname is used by the United Nations, the Commission of toponymy of the national geographical Institut French and the International organization of standardization.

History

See also: History of Suriname

  • 3000 av. J. - C.: the Arawaks and the the Caribbean settle in the area.
  • 1581 : The Netherlanders occupy the territory and of the British traders establish there a colony at the beginning of the 17th century.
  • 1667 : The Netherlanders establish a colony whose importance rests especially on the trade of slaves. They recover the occupied territories by the British.
  • 1863 : End of slavery. Consequently, the colonial economy makes come from the workmen Hindustani S and Javanese.
  • 1954 : The colony of Suriname receives a statute of autonomy under the crown Dutchwoman and the preparation of independence starts.
  • November 25th 1975: The act of independence is adopted by the Parliament surinamien and the country becomes independent. Beginning of the exodus towards the Netherlands.
  • February 25th 1980: Military coup d'etat under Dési Bouterse.
  • December 1982: “Assassinations of December”. The opponents with the military regime are killed. The Netherlands cease the payment of the development assistance. The economy crumbles and the emigration towards the Netherlands accelerates.
  • Inside the country, Ronnie Brunswijk begins a military insurrection.
  • 1986 : Attacks of Moiwana, a village on the border with the French Guiana. The situation approaches a civil war and the international pressure forces with a process of democratization.
  • December 24th 1990: Dési Bouterse takes again the capacity, simply while telephoning the Prime Minister to say to him to leave its station.
  • Again, Bouterse endeavors to gain the support of the population, but it loses the elections. The democracy is restored.
  • July 2001: local population: 434.000 inhabitants; emigrants in the Netherlands: approximately 350.000.

Policy

See also: Political of Suriname

Suriname is a democracy established by the constitution of 1987. The legislative body is the National Assembly, made up of 51 elected members every five years.

The National Assembly elects the chief of the executive, the president, by a majority of two thirds. If no candidate reaches such a majority, the president is elected by the Parliament of the people, an institution of 340 people made up of the National Assembly and regional representatives.

Suriname is member of the Community and Common Market of the Caribbean (Caricom).

Districts

See also: Districts of Suriname

Suriname is divided into ten districts:

Geography

See also: Geography of Suriname

Land borders

  • 600 km with the Guyana
  • 597 km with the Brazil
  • 510 km with the French Guiana

Environment

Suriname is with the Guyana (which is next to it on a border of 520 km) and part of the Brésil one of the areas of the world richest in Biodiversité, but this one is in rapid retreat, at least in term of surface available.
La Tropical forest and the natural environments are more and more ecologically fragmented and replaced by plantations (rice, trees.), cities and infrastructures. The naturality of the mediums strongly decreases around the cities and along the roads and tracks. The illegal Orpaillage is there under development full (maintaining very visible on the last satellite images of Google earth for example). The gigantic mines of Bauxite provide 80% of the export earnings, but not major impact on the forest. The field crops of Rice and Banane use many Pesticide S (Insecticide S in particular) which is all the more quickly evaporated and washed towards surface waters that the climate is hot is wet. According to UNO, although the economic situation seems to improve since years 2000,50 to 60% of the population misses essential resources with the satisfaction of the essential needs, which encourages the informal economy and illegal gold washing in the country, even in the adjoining countries), the illegal or unsuited exploitation of the forest and game. The government of Suriname established a multiannual plan of development until 2010 trying to overcome poverty. Suriname is registered in Priority Zone of Solidarity since 1999, which in particular allowed a co-operation with Guyana and France via an operational Program of transborder co-operation 2007-2013 " Amazonie".

Economy

See also: Economy of Suriname

Demography

See also: Demography of Suriname

The population surinamienne consists of several minorities. Largest, approximately 37% of the population, are that of the Hindustani S (as well Hindu as Moslem or Christian), immigrant descendants of come from India at the 19th century.

Creole , of European mixed ascent " blanche" and African " noire" , approximately 31% represent, whereas the Javanese, (" importés" old the Indies Dutchwomen) and the Marrons (downward escaped African slaves) account for 15 and 10% respectively.

The remainder is composed of Amerindian (2%), of Chinese (1%) and of " Blancs" (1%), among which the Boeroes (even origin that the Boers in South Africa), descendants of the Dutch rural colonists of the 19th century and " Bakras" , more recent newcomers, with Syro-Lebanese. Lastly, good number of Brazilian immigrant workers arrived recently at Suriname.

There in addition remain some Jewish families Sépharade S, downward of expelled of Spain in 1492 and of the Portugal in 1495, come refugees at the 17th century via the Netherlands, the Italy (Granas) or the Brésil. They profited, under British colonization, then Dutchwoman, of a certain autonomy, in a locality called Jodensavanne , which they had setting-up in 1652 on Savannah, close to the split of Cassipora (see History off Jews in Surinameet Foundation for Jodensavanne).

Because of the great number of ethnicities in the country, there is no principal religion. The majority of Hindustanis are Hindu, but there are also Moslems and Christians among them. The majority of the Creoles and Chestnuts are Christian.

The Dutch is the official language of Suriname; the Lingua franca is the sranan tongo, but a score of languages at least are spoken by the various ethnicities.

Culture

See also: Culture of Suriname

Language

The speakers of the languages of this country divide themselves between about fifteen languages, of which most important are: the Creole surinamien containing English (120 000 speakers), also called Sranan tongo; the Hindi called “Sarnami hindustani” (150 000 speakers); the Javanese called “Javanese surinamien” (60 000); the Creole Guianese (50 000); the ndjuka (or aucan ) (25 000); the Creole Saramaca (23 000); Chinese hakka (6 000); Dutch (1 000); etc Let us specify that more than 120.000 speakers speak Creole surinamien, or Sranan tongo, like language second; and 100.000 speakers, Dutch. (You will find in certain books or Web sites German like language of membership of Suriname, insofar as this dialect is slightly different from that spoken in Holland. It is the German shape also spoken in Belgium. Bond: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=SR)

Others

Surinam has as codes:

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