Introduction
Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to rule through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1989, the military overthrew the civilian government, but a democratically-elected government returned to power in 1991.
Location
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
Geographic coordinates
4 00 N, 56 00 W
Area
total: 163,270 sq km
land: 161,470 sq km
water: 1,800 sq km
Land boundaries
total: 1,707 km
border countries: Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
Natural resources
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Land use
arable land: 0.37%
permanent crops: 0.06%
note: there are 95,000 hectares of arable land, 7,000 hectares of permanent crops, and 15,000 hectares of permanent pastures (1998 est.)
other: 99.57%
Irrigated land
490 sq km (1998 est.)
Environment - current issues
deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast
Population
436,935 (July 2004 est.)