268 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
268 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
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SURINAME
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Georgia
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Land boundaries: 1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana
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510 km, Guyana 600 km
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Coastline: 386 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and
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Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area in Guyana
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between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all
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headwaters of the Courantyne)
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Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
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Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
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Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp,
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bauxite, iron ore, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold
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Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 97%; other 3%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: mostly tropical rain forest
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PEOPLE
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Population: 402,385 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 39 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese
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Ethnic divisions: Hindustani (East Indian) 37.0%, Creole (black and
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mixed) 31.0%, Javanese 15.3%, Bush black 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese
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1.7%, Europeans 1.0%, other 1.1%
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Religion: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%,
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Protestant (predominantly Moravian) 25.2%, indigenous beliefs
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about 5%
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Language: Dutch (official); English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo
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(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles
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and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others;
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also Hindi Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri) and Javanese
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Literacy: 95% (male 95%, female 95%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 104,000 (1984)
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Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Suriname
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Type: republic
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Capital: Paramaribo
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Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten,
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singular--distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne,
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Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
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Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly
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Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana)
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Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987
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Legal system: NA
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National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
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Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister,
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Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note--commander in chief of the
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National Army maintains significant power
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
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Nationale)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President
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Ronald VENETIAAN (since 16 September 1991); Vice President and
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Prime Minister Jules AJODHIA (since 16 September 1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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traditional ethnic-based parties--The New Front (NF), Henck
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ARRON, a coalition formed of four parties following the 24 December
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1990 military coup--Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath LACHMON;
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National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck ARRON;
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Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy SOEMITA; and
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Suriname Labor Party (SLP), Frank DERBY;
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promilitary New Democratic Party (NDP), Jules Albert WIJDENBOSCH,
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Frank PLAYFAIR;
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Democratic Alternative '91 (DA '91),
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Gerard BRUNINGS, a coalition of five parties formed in
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January 1991--Alternative Forum, Gerard BRUNINGS, Winston JESSURUN;
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Reformed Progressive Party (HPP), Panalall PARMISSER;
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Party for Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), Caprino ALLENDY;
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Pendawalima, Marsha JAMIN; and
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Independent Progressive Group, Karam RAMSUNDERSINGH;
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leftists--Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael NAARENDORP;
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Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan KROLIS
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 6 September 1991 (next to be held May
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1996);
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results--elected by the National Assembly--Ronald VENETIAAN (NF)
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80% (645 votes), Jules WIJDENBOSCH (NDP) 14% (115 votes), Hans PRADE
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(DA '91) 6% (49 votes)
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National Assembly--last held 25 May 1991 (next to be held
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May 1996);
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results--percent of vote NA;
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seats--(51 total) NF 30, NDP 12, DA '91 9
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Member of: ACP, CARICOM (observer), ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-77, IADB,
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IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES,
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LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
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WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT; Chancery
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at Suite 108, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
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telephone (202) 244-7488 or 7490 through 7492; there is a Surinamese
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Consulate General in Miami;
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US--Ambassador John (Jack) P. LEONARD; Embassy at Dr. Sophie
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Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821,
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Paramaribo); telephone 597 72900, 77881, or 76459
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Flag: five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white,
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red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large
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yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which
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accounts for about 70% of export earnings and 40% of tax revenues. The
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economy has been in trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in
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1982. A drop in world bauxite prices that started in the late 1970s and
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continued until late 1986, was followed by the outbreak of a guerrilla
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insurgency in the interior. The guerrillas targeted the economic
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infrastructure, crippling the important bauxite sector and shutting down
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other export industries. These problems have created high inflation,
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high unemployment, widespread black market activity, and a bad climate
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for foreign investment. A small gain in economic growth of 2.0% was
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registered in 1989 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved
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international markets for bauxite.
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GDP: $1.35 billion, per capita $3,400; real growth rate 2.0%
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(1989 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1989 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 33% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million,
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including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)
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Exports: $425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
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commodities--alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood
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products, shrimp and fish, bananas;
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partners--Norway 33%, Netherlands 20%, US 15%, FRG 9%,
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Brazil 5%, UK 5%, Japan 3%, other 10%
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Imports: $370 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
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commodities--capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton,
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consumer goods;
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partners--US 37%, Netherlands 15%, Netherlands Antilles 11%,
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Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 3%, other 20%
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External debt: $138 million (1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 16.4% (1988 est.); accounts
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for 22% of GDP
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Electricity: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced,
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5,090 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production,
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lumbering, food processing, fishing
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Agriculture: accounts for 11% of both GDP and labor force; paddy
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rice planted on 85% of arable land and represents 60% of total farm
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output; other products--bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains,
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peanuts, beef, chicken; shrimp and forestry products of increasing
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importance; self-sufficient in most foods
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-87), $1.45 billion
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Currency: Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders,
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gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) =
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100 cents
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Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.)
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per US$1--1.7850 (fixed rate)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned,
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and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track
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Highways: 8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel,
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crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay
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Inland waterways: 1,200 km; most important means of transport;
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oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging from 4.2 m to 7 m can navigate
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many of the principal waterways
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Ports: Paramaribo, Moengo
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Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
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6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 46 total, 42 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: international facilities good; domestic radio
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relay system; 27,500 telephones; stations--5 AM, 14 FM, 6 TV, 1
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shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: National Army (including Navy which is company-size,
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small Air Force element), Civil Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 107,544; 64,146 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $91 million, 7.2% of GDP (1990 est.)
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