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SURINAM
The Republic of Suriname, more commonly known as Suriname or Surinam, (formerly
known as Netherlands Guiana and Dutch Guiana) is a country in northern South
America, in between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The
southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic
coast. The most southern parts of the borders with Guyana and French Guiana are
disputed (upper Corantijn and Marowijne rivers—the map shows the Guyana and
French Guiana versions of the border).
HISTORY
Pre – 1500
Arawak and Carib tribes lived in the region before Columbus sighted the coast in
1498.
1500 – 1815
Spain claimed the area in 1593, but Portuguese and Spanish explorers of the time
gave the area little attention. The English established the first European
settlement in 1651 and control passed between the English, French and Dutch
until it finally became a Dutch colony in 1815.
1815 – 1990
An autonomous part of the Netherlands from 1954, Suriname became fully
independent in 1975. Suriname was a working parliamentary democracy in the years
immediately following independence. Henk Arron became the first Prime Minister
and was re-elected in 1977. On 25 February 1980, 16 non-commissioned officers
overthrew the elected government. The military-dominated government then
suspended the constitution, dissolved the legislature, and formed a regime that
ruled by decree. Although a civilian filled the post of president, a military
man, Desi Bouterse, actually ruled the country. Throughout 1982, pressure grew
for a return to civilian rule. In response, the military ordered drastic action,
the authorities arrested and killed 15 prominent opposition leaders, including
journalists, lawyers, and trade union leaders. Following the murders, the United
States and the Netherlands suspended economic and military co-operation with the
Bouterse regime, which increasingly began to follow an erratic but generally
leftist political course. Economic decline rapidly set in after the suspension
of economic aid from the Netherlands. The regime restricted the press and
limited the rights of its citizens. Continuing economic decline brought pressure
for change. The military eventually agreed to free elections in 1987, a new
constitution and a civilian government.
1990 - to date
On 24 December 1990, military officers forced the resignations of the civilian
President and Vice President elected in 1987. The National Assembly hastily
approved military-selected replacements on 29 December. The government held new
elections on 25 May 1991. NPS candidate Runaldo Venetiaan was elected President,
and the VHP's Jules Ajodhia became Vice President of the New Front Coalition
government. The NDP won more National Assembly seats (16 of 51) than any other
party in the May 1996 national elections and in September 1996, joined with the
KTPI, dissenters from the VHP, and several smaller parties to elect NDP
vice-chairman Jules Wijdenbosch president of a NDP-led coalition government.
Divisions and subsequent reshuffling of coalition members in the fall of 1997
and early 1998 weakened the coalition's mandate and slowed legislative action.
In May 1999, after mass demonstrations protesting poor economic conditions, the
government was forced to call early elections. The elections in May 2000
returned Runaldo Venetiaan and his coalition to the presidency. The NF ran its
campaign on a platform to fix the faltering Surinameese economy. But while the
Venetiaan administration has made progress in stabilising the economy, tensions
within the coalition and the impatience of the populace have impeded progress.
The Dutch halted aid in response to irresponsible spending by the Wijdenbosch
administration. The parties are at odds over the control of the funds, and
necessary aid has not flowed to the country.
POPULATION - 438,144 (July 2005 est.)
CURRENCY - Suriname dollar (SRD)
ECONOMY
GDP: (in 1000 SRD) 4107318
GDP per head: SRD 7983
Annual Growth: 8%
Inflation: 12.7% (at September 2005)
Major Industries: bauxite and gold mining, alumina production, lumbering, food
processing, fishing
Major Trading Partners: US, Norway, Netherlands, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago,
Japan, UK, Brazil.
The economy of Suriname is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for
more than 15 percent of GDP and 70 percent of export earnings. Other main export
products include sugar, and Suriname has some oil and gold reserves. About a
quarter of the people work in the agricultural sector. The Surinamese economy is
very dependent on other countries, with its main trade partners being the
Netherlands, the United States and countries in the Caribbean.
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