Basic Information About Suriname:

Population: The population of Suriname is 549,677.

GDP:  $ 9.2 billion (2010)

Climate:  The populated area in the north has four seasons: a minor rainy season from early December to early February, a minor dry season from early February to late April, a major rainy season from late April to mid-August, and a major dry season from mid-August to early December.

People:  Javanese (descendants of contract workers from the former Dutch East Indies on the island of Java, Indonesia), form 14% of the population. Amerindians, the original inhabitants of Suriname, form 3.7% of the population. The main groups are the Akurio, Arawak, Kalina (Caribs), Tiriyó and Wayana.

Religion: Hinduism, Islam and Christianity have remained as the country’s major religions, with the Hindus consisting 80% of the population, Muslims, 15%, and Christians, 5%.

Capital: Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District.

Language:  Dutch is the sole official language, and is the language of education, government, business, and the media. Over 60% of the population speaks Dutch as a mother tongue, and most of the rest of the population speaks it as a second language.

Currency: The Surinamese Dollar is the currency of Suriname.

Time Zone: UTC-03:00