1
Amazon-Caribbean Tourism Trail
Suriname
MODULE I: General Country Information
SURINAME Facts at a glance
Location: 2 – 6 ° NL, 54 - 58° WL
Area:163.820 sq.km (63,037 sq.miles)
Population:524.150 (estimate)
Capital Paramaribo (population: 250.000)
People:Surinamese
Ethnic groups: East Indian, Mixed, Creole, Javanese, Maroon, Amerindians, Chinese, European
Languages:Dutch (official), English, Sranantongo (Creole Language), Chinese, Hindustani, and Javanese
Religions:Hindu, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Dutch Reformed, Moravian, Jewish, Baha’i
Currency:Suriname Guilder was replaced by the Surinamese dollar in January 2004
Government:Democratic Republic governed by a President
Climate:Tropical with a high humidity, average temperature 27.3 ° C.
Time Zone:Suriname is 2 hours ahead of Eastern Standard. Time (EST) in America and 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in Europe.
Electricity:110 volt/ 60 hertz
GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT
Location, cities and climate
Suriname, once known as Dutch Guiana, is located on the northeast coast of South America, just north of the Amazon Delta and between British Guyana and French Guiana. The country’s total surface is 163.820 sq km (63,037 sq miles) and its geographical location is 2 – 6 ° NL, 54 - 58° WL.
The majority of the inhabitants (more than 50%) live in the narrow coastal zone. More than 90 percent of the Surinamese territory is covered by rain forest. Although the official language in Suriname is Dutch, most Surinamese can communicate with one another through the use of the lingua franca: Sranantongo. Other languages in Suriname are Hindustani (derived from Hindi), Javanese, Hakka Chinese, English and about nine other tribal languages of the Amerindians and Maroons.Paramaribo has been the capital ever since the early colonial days.
Suriname is divided into ten different districts. These are: Paramaribo, Wanica, Commewijne, Marowijne, Saramacca, Coronie, Nickerie, Para, Brokopondo and Sipaliwini (see figure 1 below). Each district has its own capital (hoofdplaats). Table 1 shows an overview of the districts and the corresponding capital of each district.
The climate in Suriname is tropical with an average tropical temperature of 27.3 degrees Centigrade; the daily temperature varies between 23 and 31 degrees. There are two rainy seasons and two dry seasons.The small dry season runs from February until April. The big rainy season starts in May and runs through the first half of August. From August until November is the big dry season and in December and January there is another small rainy season. At the end of each rainy season heavy rainfall might occur.
Figure 1. Map of the Districts
Table 1
District / CapitalBrokopondo / Brokopondo
Commewijne / Nieuw Amsterdam
Coronie / Totness
Marowijne / Albina
Nickerie / Nieuw Nickerie
Para / Onverwacht
Paramaribo / Paramaribo
Saramacca / Groningen
Sipaliwini / not determined yet
Wanica / Lelydorp
Main Sites and Towns of Suriname and their distances
The Surinamese capital city, Paramaribo, is a product of its multi-ethnic history with strong Dutch colonial influences. The colonial architecture together with the lively native cultural symbols and cuisine therefore makes Paramaribo a perfect point from which to start in exploring the country. The Inner City of Paramaribo was listed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2002.
A dominant facet in the urban landscape of Suriname is thequantity and variety of temples dedicated to the worship of various religions practiced in the country such as Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism. Another strong characteristic is the abundance of fruit trees, always green and veneered because of exposure to sunlight and rainfall regime. In the rainy season, strong rainfall exceeds the capacity of the city’s drainage and floods the lower areas.
In the capital there are no bathing places, but about 30 km along the Suriname River there are some; the most popular being ‘White Beach’, a river beach with artificially sprayed white sand on the river’s bank.
Major cities in Suriname are Lelydorp in the district Wanica, about 18 km from Paramaribo, and with an almost invisible border with the country’s capital. Nieuw Nickerie on the border with Guyana and about 220 km from Paramaribo, is one of the most vibrant district capitals in Suriname which also is the second most important port in the country. Albina, on the border with French Guiana, is located at about 130 km east of Paramaribo. Albina and Nickerie both offer alternatives to tourism, such as cultural activities, sight seeing, restaurants, hotels and bungalows. The road to Nickerie is reasonable but the road to Albina is in precarious condition.
The district of Brokopondo, on the edge of the reservoir of Brokopondo (a huge artificial lake in the center of the territory) also offers many attractions and tours in the lagoon, beaches and guided walks through the forest. This region is about 120 km south from Paramaribo. The road to Brokopondo was recently rebuilt and is in a stable condition.
The Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport is located in the district of Para, 48 km south of Paramaribo. The road linking the capital to the airport is in good condition and this road is also the connection with the district of Para where maroon villages offer both cultural cuisine products and handicraft.
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve, established in 1998 is located in the center of the country and covers more than 1.6 million hectares of primary tropical forest. The Reserve forms a passage wherein three important former protected areas in Central Suriname are linked together: the Raleighvallen Nature Reserve in the north, and the Tafelberg and Eilerts de Haangebergte Nature Reserves in the central and southern portion of the corridor. The Nature Reserve also efficiently protects the watershed of the Coppename River; one of Suriname’s most important river systems.
There are three nature reserves that merge into the Central Suriname Nature Reserve and these are part of Suriname’s outstanding nature conservation system. At this moment there are eight nature reserves, one nature park, and one multiple-use management area, ranging from 100 to 220.000 hectares and these reserves include both tropical forest ecosystems in the interior as well as a number of important coastal formations. Due to the creation of the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, the protected area system in Suriname will cover 12 percent of the total land surface of the country.
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve was also listed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2000.
There are a number of national parks and protected areas in Suriname. The most important are: Brownsberg Nature Park (130 km from Paramaribo), Voltzberg Nature Park (170 km from Paramaribo), Galibi Nature Reserve (about 200 km from Paramaribo at the mouth of Marowijne river) and Coppename Nature Reserve (about 90 km from Paramaribo at the mouth of Coppename river).
Many river tours are available throughout the interior of the country, including guided visits to indigenous and maroon communities who have managed to preserve their culture and lifestyle, living in jungle villages since the 18th century.The Werehpai Caves, located in the district of Sipaliwini, are a series of boulder caves in granitic rock, located upriver from Kwamalasamutu village. The caves contain one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the entire Amazon basin and might date back some 5000 years ago.
Caribbean and South American Environment
With a population of more than half a million people, Suriname enjoys a relatively high standard of living but also faces serious political and economic challenges.The country is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the Americas since most of its people are descendants from African slaves and Indian and Indonesian indentured servants brought over by the Dutch to work as agricultural laborers.
There is just some or little assimilation between the different ethnic groups, which lead to the fact that all the different cultures are still well conserved and predominantly intact.Since Suriname has a unique identity of being a former Dutch colony in South America, both the Caribbean Environment and South American Environment are not abundant as they are in other Caribbean or South American nations. Music, dances and other cultural influences (such as Carnival) of the Caribbean and South America however are finding their way more and more to the Surinamese society and culture.
Merengue, salsa, soca, dance hall and reggae are often heard in bars and discotheques and due to the growing society of Brazilians in Suriname, Capoeira (a folklore Brazilian dance) is frequently being performed at public events. During Carnival ethnic costumes and music are a major display of the parades and Latin dance competitions are steadily growing in popularity.
The architecture in Suriname is reinforced by the colonial heritage. Wooden buildings and plantations still accentuate the Dutch history of the country and form an attraction for both local visitors and international tourists; the Saint Peter and Paul cathedral in Paramaribo is the largest wooden building in South America.
Unlike most of the Caribbean countries, especially the Islands, Suriname does not possess sandy white beaches, a blue sea and waving green palms. The country’s charm is mainly found in its people, the serene nature and the great variety of cultural heritage.
Historical Background
Colonization
The earliest inhabitants of Suriname were the Surinen Indians, after whom the country is probably named. By the 16th century they had been pushed out by other South American Indians. In 1593 Spanish conquistadores explored Suriname but it was the Dutch who began to settle the land in 1602, followed years later by the English. In exchange for New Amsterdam (New York), the English transferred Suriname to the Dutch in 1667 (the Treaty of Breda).
In the early years of colonization only the coastal strip was exploited and slaves form Africas were forced to work at the coffee and sugarcane plantations until the abolition of slavery in 1863. African slaves who managed to escape the plantations fled into the interior where they reconstituted their western African culture, and came to be called “Bush Negroes” by the Dutch. At the end of the 1800s (1870) East Indian laborers were imported from British India and Javanese from the Dutch East Indies.
Plantation heritage
As soon as plantations were established in Suriname, Amerindians in the coastal plains were forced to work on the plantations. However, many Amerindians fled towards the southern parts of the country to avoid slave work at the plantations and soon the colonists had no other choice than to seek labor forces elsewhere. As a result Africans were transported to Suriname in the early 17th century to work on these establishments. Suriname planters were notorious for mistreating their slaves, and the dense tropical forest provided excellent cover for those who were no longer willing to accept exploitation and mistreatment. The escaped slaves settled along the upper reaches of the interior rivers above the treacherous rapids. During the 1700s the Colonial Government tried to conquer the rebel slaves. Military expeditions were outfitted to locate Maroon settlements and to destroy them, or to engage and capture rebel slaves, but all with limited success. The Colonial Government sued for peace and in the 1760s peace treaties were signed with the major Maroon groups. The African rebel slaves were now free to live in the interior, alongside the Amerindian communities, and develop distinct and autonomous socio-cultural and political entities.
African contribution
The African population paid a heavy toll to develop the coastal area of the colony. Some 325.000 Africans were transported to Suriname and were forced to work on the plantations. When slavery was abolished in 1863 a mere 33.621 African-Surinamese gained their freedom.Mistreatment, disease and overwork resulted in the death of thousands of slaves. After, the abolishment of slavery, the former slaves left the plantations and many African-Surinamese moved to Paramaribo to settle in the periphery of the quickly growing town.
The Africans living in the capital of the colony had access to better schooling and soon they obtained skills to take up positions such as government administrators, teachers and employees in the commercial and public sector. The Africans who had a chance to get better education became lawyers and doctors. The Moravian Church managed to win many converts among the town Creoles. However, elements of African religion remain to this day prominent in the Creole community.
By the time slavery was abolished, in 1863, approximately 200 plantations were still in production. The planters expected a massive exodus of African-Surinamese from the plantations and an extreme shortage of field laborers. Their estimation of the situation was correct. Most of the African-Surinamese left the plantations when they could. Efforts were made to acquire laborers from Netherlands-Indies, Madeira, China and the West Indies, but only with limited success. Between 1853 and 1870 about 4.500 Chinese were brought to Suriname to work on the plantations as indentured laborers. After the contract period of the Chinese laborers expired, they left the plantations and most of the Chinese became active in the trading business.
Asian indentureship
The Dutch Government signed a treaty with England in 1870 and between 1873 and 1916 approximately 34.000 East Indians were shipped to Suriname to work on the plantations as indentured laborers. The period of indentured labor was not without the occurrence of rioting. On two occasions around the end of the 19th century the Hindustanis rioted against the plantation owners and these revolts turned bloody when they were struck down with armed forces.
In order to reduce their reliance on the British, the Dutch colonizers decided to look for substitute labor sources. Between 1890 and 1935 about 33.000 Javanese, from the Dutch colony Indonesia, were transported to Suriname to work on the plantations.
After their contract period ended and the laborers left the plantations, the Hindustani and the Javanese settled in the coastal. Many did not use the option to go back to their country of origin because the Government offered them agricultural land for free. Most of the Hindustani settled in the districts of Nickerie and Saramacca. The Javanese settled in Commewijne, but also in the outskirts of Paramaribo and in some locations in Saramacca.
Despite efforts of the Europeans to Christianize them, the Hindustani and Javanese maintained their language, and, most retained their original Hindu or Muslim religion. The temples and mosques developed not only as places of worship, but also centers of educational (especially for language courses) and social activities. Between 1936 and 1937 a law was passed, which recognized and structured village communities, and the Asiatic Marriage Law was also passed. Under this law, marriages concluded under Muslim or Hindi traditions were formally recognized by the Government. Efforts were also made to ensure that the Hindustani and Javanese could have separate representation in the Colonial Parliament. As time passed, the Hindustani and Javanese had increasing contacts with other Surinamese, especially through economic activities, but they retained their language and religion due largely to residential and occupational segregation.
Independence
Known as Dutch Guiana, the colony was integrated into the kingdom of the Netherlands in 1948. Two years later Dutch Guiana was granted home rule, except for foreign affairs and defense. The Netherlands granted Suriname complete independence on November the 25th 1975, after a race riot over unemployment and inflation. A sudden overthrow through a coup in 1980 brought military rule. During much of the eighties Suriname was under the suppressive control of the military junta. In 1982 the Netherlands stopped aid when Suriname soldiers executed 15 journalists, politicians, lawyers, and union officials. Defense spending augmented considerably, and the economy declined. A guerrilla rebellion by the Jungle Commando (a maroon guerrilla group of mainly soldiers from the interior) threatened to destabilize the country during the Interior Civil War and was harshly suppressed by military government. Free elections were held in 1987, depriving the military of much of its political power. A peace treaty was signed in 1992 between the government and different guerrilla groups in the country. In March 1997 new economic measures were taken such as the elimination of import tariffs on most basic goods and strict price controls.
Modern Political System
The political institutions of Suriname are defined by the constitution of 1987. The National Assembly has fifty-one members and these are elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The president is elected by a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The president selects the cabinet of ministers.