Suriname

Where the name comes from

Suriname is named after the Surinen, an Indigenous people historically linked with the region.

First people

Indigenous communities lived here for thousands of years.¹

Known for

Suriname is one of the most forested countries on Earth and the only South American country with Dutch as its official language.^2,3

Outside contact

English settlement began in 1650, and the Dutch conquered it in 1667; British occupations in 1799–1802 and 1804–1816 interrupted Dutch plantation rule built on slavery and later indentured labour.¹

The modern country

Dutch colonial rule ended in 1975.³