Driving Directions Suriname
SURINAME, formerly Dutch Guiana, is a republic in northeast South America, bordered to the west by Guyana, to the east by French Guiana, and to Brazil. The country, formerly a Dutch colony, declared independence in 1975.
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Suriname, which nowhere exceeds 80 kilometers or 50 miles in width, is primarily a country of upland plateaux and highlands covered with forests and traversed by numerous rivers and streams, many of which are critical navigable waterways.
The climate is tropical, with heavy rainfall mainly from December to April.
Agriculture remains relatively underdeveloped. Crops cultivated include rice, bananas, citrus fruits, sugar cane, coffee, and cacao. Molasses and rum are produced along with some manufactured goods, and there is an essential coastal shrimp fishery.
Suriname’s economy is based on bauxite mining, which accounts for 80 percent of its exports, and alumina and aluminum production.
The country has essential mineral reserves of iron ore, nickel, copper, platinum, and gold. Suriname’s natural resources also include oil and timber, and forestry is an expanding industry. However, the country is politically unstable and in need of financial aid in developing its resources.
Google Maps Suriname
Suriname is divided into three distinct natural regions: a coastal plain, a region of forested mountains, and high savannah in the southwest. Of these areas, the mountains are by far the largest, covering roughly three-quarters of the country. Seven significant rivers run through Suriname, all flowing into the Atlantic Ocean in the north. Suriname is located on the South American Tectonic Plate.
The Atlantic Ocean is located along Suriname’s northern coast.
The shape and make-up of the coastline constantly change because of the deposits from Suriname’s numerous rivers. Ocean currents and wind push the river deposits to form unevenly shaped mud banks and ridges along the coast.
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Suriname has some of the world’s richest bauxite reserves, a primary mineral used in aluminum production. Mining sites at Moengo and Paranam are estimated to have ten to fifteen years of bauxite reserves remaining. Other bauxite reserves have been located but are currently unexploited. All bauxite mined in Suriname is brought via navigable rivers and the Atlantic to the Suriname Aluminum Company (SURALCO) in Paranam and Aluminum Company subsidiary America (ALCOA).
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