Suriname

Suriname (formerly Dutch Guyana) is a small Republic on the Northeast coast of South America. It borders French Guiana in the east, Brasil in the south, Guyana in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the north, and has an area of 163,265 square kilometres (63,064 square miles). The country contains many rivers and some mountains (highest point 1280 metres). The larger part of the country consists of uncultivated rain forest.The people are a multi-cultural blend and the land has many beautiful natural resources that make it unique. It is not unusual to see monkeys traversing the trees and boa constrictors crossing the various roads that are traveled daily. The Amazonian interior is unspoiled and sparsely inhabited. The official language of Suriname is Dutch. A reasonable number of people also speak English. Surinamese children are taught English in primary school starting in the seventh grade. The lingua franca in Suriname is Sranan Tongo. This is a creole language spoken by almost everyone. Suriname's national anthem is written in Sranan Tongo.
Nearly all 386,372 inhabitants of Suriname (1990 count) live within a 30 km wide coastal region. The capital Paramaribo lies about 20km south of the coast at the west bank of the Suriname river. It has 150,000 inhabitants.