Suriname

Suriname is a country that encases 160,000 square kilometers; Amazon forests cover most of the region except for the coastal areas which are made up of jungle swamps and savanna meadows. Suriname is the smallest independent nation located on the South American continent.

Today the Republic of Suriname is home to roughly 492,000 people, and is squeezed in between English speaking Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and French Guiana to the east. The capital of Suriname is Paramaribo, a relatively young and developing city of 250,000 inhabitants; the city is situated along the mouth of the Suriname River delta.

The Surinamese population is comprised of a unique blend of ethnic groups. Out of the 492,000 inhabitants in Suriname: 27% are East Indian, 15% Javanese, 15% Maroons, 18% Creole, 4% Amerindian, 2% Chinese, and the remainder mixed or other. (2004 census data)