Fast Facts in Suriname
Population: 470,784
Capital: Paramaribo
Time Zone: UTC-3
Currency Name: Surinam dollar (SRD)
Government Type: constitutional democracy
Languages: Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Ethnic Breakdown: Hindustani (also known locally as East Indians; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, Maroons (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%
Religion: Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Major Cities: Paramaribo
Phone Country Code: 597
Health Concerns:
Official Tourism Website: http://www.parbo.com/tourism/
High Travel Season: July - August
Voltage: 127 V - 60 Hz
Electrical Plug Type: c, f
Major Holidays:
Misc Fact / Good to Know: Suriname won its independence from the Netherlands in 1975.