Suriname
Updated: Sep 15, 2022
Home> Countries> South America> Suriname
Country Name
Suriname or officially known as the Republic of Suriname.
Location
Suriname is a country in northeastern South America, the Atlantic Ocean bordered it to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south.
Capital
Paramaribo.
Reason for Naming
The name Suriname may derive from an indigenous people called Surinen, who inhabited the area at the time of European contact. It may also be derived from a corruption of the name "Surryham" which was the name given to the Suriname River by Lord Willoughby in honor of the Earl of Surrey when an English colony was established under a grant from King Charles II.
Flag
The Suriname flag was adopted on November 25, 1975, when Suriname gained its independence from the Netherlands. The flag of Suriname consists of five horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes are green, the middle stripe is red and there is a white stripe above and below the red one. In the red stripe, a yellow five-pointed star is placed. The red represents the country's progress and struggles to achieve a better quality of life, the white represents freedom and justice, and the green represents the fertility and natural resources of the land, as well as hope. The yellow star stands for the unity of all the country's five main ethnic groups: Creoles (mixed African and Native American descent), Asian Indians, Chinese, American Indians, and Europeans.
Another Story Originally, the colors also represented three of Suriname's political parties. Red was for the Hindu Vatan Hitkari, white represented the People's Party and green stood for the National Party. The star represents a golden future for Suriname, achieved through unity and hard work. * Flag Facts:
-The flags of Lithuania, Myanmar, and Suriname are the only non-African national flags to contain the pan-African colors red, yellow, and green.
Language
Surinamese Dutch is recognized by law as the country's official language it is the language of education, government, business, and the media. Although Dutch may be the official language of Suriname, most Surinamese speak Sranan. This English-based creole has been influenced by Dutch and Portuguese along with some West African languages.
Religion
Christianity is the predominant religion in Suriname Hinduism and Islam have the second and third largest religious populations in the country, Other religions practiced in Suriname include Winti, Javanism, and Judaism. Additionally, there is very few populations identity with no religion.
Currency
Surinamese dollar (SRD).
Time Zone
-03:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary republic.
Climate
Suriname has a tropical climate with dry and rainy seasons. The short rainy season falls during December and January. The long rainy season takes place from April to July. Throughout the year the average daily temperature varies between 21 and 32 degrees Celsius.
The best time to visit Suriname runs from late August to mid-November, since it is the driest and sunniest of the year; indeed, it is also the hottest, but what matters most here is to avoid the heavy rains.