View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1991 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Airports [time series]

46 total, 42 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 [time series]

2 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

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 [time series]

3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container

Ports [time series]

Paramaribo, Moengo

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned, and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

National Army (including Navy which is company-size, small Air Force element), Civil Police

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$91 million, 7.2% of GDP (1990 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 107,544; 64,146 fit for military service

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.45 billion

Electricity [time series]

458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 5,090 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1--1.7850 (fixed rate)

Exports [time series]

$425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood products, shrimp and fish, bananas; partners--Norway 33%, Netherlands 20%, US 15%, FRG 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 5%, Japan 3%, other 10%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$138 million (1990 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$1.35 billion, per capita $3,400; real growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.)

Imports [time series]

$370 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods; partners--US 37%, Netherlands 15%, Netherlands Antilles 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 3%, other 20%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 16.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 22% of GDP

Industries [time series]

bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

50% (1989 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for about 70% 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 high inflation, high unemployment, widespread black market activity, and a bad climate for foreign investment. A small gain in economic growth of 2.0% was registered in 1989 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved international markets for bauxite.

Unemployment rate [time series]

33% (1990)

Geography

Climate [time series]

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Coastline [time series]

386 km Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Georgia

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

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 - current issues (Environment) [time series]

mostly tropical rain forest

Land boundaries [time series]

1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Land use [time series]

arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 97%; other 3%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Natural resources [time series]

timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold

Terrain [time series]

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Area (Total area) [time series]

163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

10 districts (distrikten, singular--distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica

Capital [time series]

Paramaribo

Constitution [time series]

ratified 30 September 1987

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

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 John (Jack) P. LEONARD; Embassy at Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo); telephone [597] 72900, 77881, or 76459

Executive branch [time series]

president, vice president and prime minister, Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note--commander in chief of the National Army maintains significant power

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government--President Ronald VENETIAAN (since 16 September 1991); Vice President and Prime Minister Jules AJODHIA (since 16 September 1991) traditional ethnic-based parties--The New Front (NF), Henck ARRON, a coalition formed of four parties following the 24 December 1990 military coup--Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath LACHMON; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck ARRON; Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy SOEMITA; and Suriname Labor Party (SLP), Frank DERBY; promilitary New Democratic Party (NDP), Jules Albert WIJDENBOSCH, Frank PLAYFAIR; Democratic Alternative '91 (DA '91), Gerard BRUNINGS, a coalition of five parties formed in January 1991--Alternative Forum, Gerard BRUNINGS, Winston JESSURUN; Reformed Progressive Party (HPP), Panalall PARMISSER; Party for Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), Caprino ALLENDY; Pendawalima, Marsha JAMIN; and Independent Progressive Group, Karam RAMSUNDERSINGH; leftists--Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael NAARENDORP; Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan KROLIS

Legal system [time series]

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Suriname

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, CARICOM (observer), ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 President--last held 6 September 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--elected by the National Assembly--Ronald VENETIAAN (NF) 80% (645 votes), Jules WIJDENBOSCH (NDP) 14% (115 votes), Hans PRADE (DA '91) 6% (49 votes) National Assembly--last held 25 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(51 total) NF 30, NDP 12, DA '91 9

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

26 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Hindustani (East Indian) 37.0%, Creole (black and mixed) 31.0%, Javanese 15.3%, Bush black 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%, Europeans 1.0%, other 1.1%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

39 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

104,000 (1984)

Languages (Language) [time series]

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 [time series]

66 years male, 71 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

95% (male 95%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese

Net migration rate [time series]

- 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

49,000 members of labor force

Population [time series]

402,385 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant (predominantly Moravian) 25.2%, indigenous beliefs about 5%

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.9 children born/woman (1991)