Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
Population
566,846
109,590
Life Expectancy
71.410 years
73.550 years
Capital City
Paramaribo
Largest city
Paramaribo (population: 223,757)
Saint George's (population: 7,500)
Human Development Index
0.77
0.774
GDP per capita
$12,300 US
Literacy Rate
89.6%
96%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
25.5%
21.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
9.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Abolished in practice
Political System
constitutional democracy
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
Religions
Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Languages
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
English (official), French patois
Exports
alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
External Debt
$504,300,000 $
Exchange Rate
Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 2.745 (2007), 2.745 (2006), 2.7317 (2005), 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003) note: in January 2004, the government replaced the guilder with the Surinamese dollar, tied to a US dollar-dominated currency basket
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
