_#_Disputes: 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)
_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
_#_Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
_#_Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp,
bauxite, iron ore, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold
_#_Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 97%; other 3%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
_#_Environment: mostly tropical rain forest
_*_People
_#_Population: 402,385 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 39 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese
_#_Ethnic divisions: 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%
_#_Religion: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%,
Protestant (predominantly Moravian) 25.2%, indigenous beliefs
about 5%
_#_Language: 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
_#_Literacy: 95% (male 95%, female 95%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 104,000 (1984)
_#_Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force
_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Suriname
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Paramaribo
_#_Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten,
singular--distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne,
Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
_#_Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly
Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana)
_#_Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987
_#_Legal system: NA
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
_#_Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister,
Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note--commander in chief of the
National Army maintains significant power
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
Nationale)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
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)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
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
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
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
_#_Member of: 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
_#_Diplomatic representation: 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
_#_Flag: 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
_*_Economy
_#_Overview: 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.
_#_GDP: $1.35 billion, per capita $3,400; real growth rate 2.0%
(1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1989 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 33% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million,
including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $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%
_#_Imports: $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%
_#_External debt: $138 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 16.4% (1988 est.); accounts
for 22% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced,
5,090 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production,
lumbering, food processing, fishing
_#_Agriculture: 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
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $1.45 billion
_#_Currency: Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders,
gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) =
100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.)
per US$1--1.7850 (fixed rate)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned,
and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track
_#_Highways: 8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel,
crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay
_#_Inland waterways: 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
_#_Ports: Paramaribo, Moengo
_#_Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container
_#_Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 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
_#_Telecommunications: 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
_#_Branches: National Army (including Navy which is company-size,
small Air Force element), Civil Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 107,544; 64,146 fit for
military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $91 million, 7.2% of GDP (1990 est.)
_%_
_@_Svalbard
(territory of Norway)
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 62,049 km2; land area: 62,049 km2; includes Spitsbergen
and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 3,587 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway,
not recognized by USSR;