Surinam is located on the northeastern coast of South America bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the North French Guana to the east Guyana to the west and Brazil to the South it's a country rich in biodiversity cultural diversity and natural resources Surinam has a population of approximately 600,000 people in 2023 the population is expected to grow slowly reaching around 700,000 by 2050 with urbanization continuing to rise especially in the capital Paramaribo surin's economy is heavily dependent on natural resources especially mining oil and agriculture the top exports are gold oil boide rice and bananas the top Imports include Machinery Vehicles food products chemicals and fuels surin's GDP per capita is around $6,300 reflecting a resource-driven economy with potential for growth in sustain Industries Surinam is one of the most culturally diverse countries in South America with influences from indigenous Indian African Dutch Chinese and Japanese cultures the official language is Dutch but many people speak shanan tongo an english-based Creole language as well as Hindi Javanese and Indigenous languages surinamese Cuisine reflects the country's diverse cultures with popular dishes like Roti pom a Creole dish bami and Nasi Goring which are Indonesian style fried noodles and rice Surinam was a Dutch colony from the 17th century until gaining independence in 1975 the country's history is marked by the plantation economy and the use of enslaved Africans and indentured laborers from Asia surin's diverse population today is the result of its Colonial past with people of African Indian javanes and Indigenous descent forming a rich cultural Mosaic Paramaribo is the capital city and home to nearly half of the population it's a UNESCO world heritage site known for its well preserved Dutch Colonial architecture lorp the second largest city located close to Paramaribo new nikari a smaller town known for its rice production and proximity to the guyane Border Independence Day on November 25th is a major national celebration faga also known as holy is celebrated by the Indo surinamese Community with vibrant color festivals Au ruari or New Year's Eve is celebrated with large street festivals and fireworks football or soccer is the most popular sport followed by basketball and Cricket Surinam is also known for producing worldclass athletes especially in football with many players having moved to the Netherlands for professional careers Serum is the only dutch-speaking country in South America over 90% of the country is covered in tropical rainforests making it one of the world's most forested countries Brownsburg Nature Park is a popular ecotourism destination with waterfalls and Wildlife the central Surinam nature reserve a UNESCO world heritage site is one of the largest protected areas of rainforest in the world and the St Peter and Paul Cathedral located in Paramaribo is the tallest wooden building in the Western Hemisphere Surinam has a highly diverse population East Indian at 37% Creole at 31% javanes at 15% and Indigenous at 3% a typical middle class family earns between 700 and $1200 per month the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Paramaribo ranges from 300 to $500 and monthly food costs for a family of four range from 2 00 to $350 top five companies by market capoli the state-owned oil company and the largest corporation in Surinam Surinam Airways the national airline telesur the national telecommunications provider calco a boxed Mining Company hakan bank one of the largest commercial banks in the country largest employers and key Industries mining especially gold and boite is one of the largest sectors in terms of employment agriculture including rice bananas and palm oil and oil extraction are also significant employers Surinam energy primarily comes from hydrop power and fossil fuels with the afaka dam providing a large portion of the country's electricity the government is making efforts to diversify into renewable energy sources particularly solar and wind energy to meet growing demand in the next 10 years Surinam is expected to focus on expanding its oil production particularly with offshore oil discoveries that could transform the economy over the next 25 years Surinam aims to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability focusing on eco tourism Agriculture and green energy development to create a more Diversified economy and improved living standards