Flag of Suriname

National Anthem of Suriname

Neighbours of Suriname

• Brazil
• French Guiana
• Guyana

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Suriname description

Suriname (Dutch: Suriname; Sranan Tongo: Sranan), officially the Republic of Suriname (traditionally spelled Surinam by the English who founded the first colony at Marshall's Creek, along the Suriname River, but the Dutch spelling is more widely accepted), is a country in northern South America. Suriname is one of four non-Spanish-speaking states in South America along with Guyana, which is Anglophone, Brazil, which is a Portuguese-speaking nation, and French Guiana, which is Francophone. Suriname was formerly known as Nederlands Guyana, Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana. Suriname is situated between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast. The southernmost border with French Guiana is disputed along the Marowijne river; while the once-disputed boundary with Guyana was arbitrated by the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea on September 20, 2007. The country is the smallest sovereign state in terms of area and population in South America and is the only independent Dutch-speaking nation in the Western Hemisphere (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are still Dutch dependencies.) Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. Situated on the Guiana Shield, the country can be divided into two main geographic regions. The northern, lowland coastal area (roughly above the line Albina-Paranam-Wageningen) has been cultivated, and most of the population lives here. The southern part consists of tropical rainforest and sparsely inhabited savanna along the border with Brazil, covering about 80% of Suriname's land surface. There are two main mountain ranges in Suriname: the Bakhuys Mountains and the Van Asch Van Wijck Mountains. Julianatop is the highest mountain in the country at 1,286 metres (4,219 ft) above sea level. Other mountains include Tafelberg (1,026 m; 3,366 ft), Mount Kasikasima (718 m; 2,356 ft), Goliathberg (358 m; 1,174 ft) and Voltzberg (240 m; 787 ft).