The Republic of Surinam is a country on the north coast of South America. It has a total area of 163,270 km2. The climate is tropical; moderated by trade winds. The terrain is mostly comprised of rolling hills and narrow coastal plain with swamps. Natural resources are timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and modest amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and gold. The religion is 27.4% Hindu, 19.6% Muslim, 22.8% Roman Catholic, 25.2% Protestant (predominantly Moravian), about 5% indigenous beliefs. The official language is Dutch with English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is the native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others; also Hindi Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri), and Javanese.
Surinam was settled by English and French traders during the 17th century and in 1667 was ceded to Holland in exchange for New Amsterdam (now New York) inder the terms of the treaty of Breda and became a colony of Dutch Guyana. Surinam gained independence from Holland in 1975. Research Surinam