ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: (Current May, 2005) A passport, visa and, if traveling by air, return ticket are required for travel to Suriname. There is a processing fee for business and tourist visas. A business visa requires a letter from the sponsoring company detailing the reason for the visit. There is an airport departure charge and a terminal fee, normally included in the price of airfare.

U.S. citizens do not require a visa or a tourist card for tourist stays of 72 hours or less within "the border zone," defined as an area between 20 to 30 kilometers of the border with the U.S., depending on the location.  U.S. citizens traveling as tourists beyond the border zone or entering Mexico by air must pay a fee to obtain a tourist card, also known as an FM-T, available from Mexican consulates, Mexican border crossing points, Mexican tourism offices, airports within the border zone and most airlines serving Mexico.  The fee for the tourist card is generally included in the price of a plane ticket for travelers arriving by air.(*) (Top)

HEALTH INFORMATION:  Medical care, including emergency medical care, is limited and does not meet U.S. standards. There is one public emergency room in Paramaribo with only a small ambulance fleet providing emergency transport with limited first response capabilities. The emergency room has no neurosurgeon, and other medical specialists may not always be available. Emergency medical care outside Paramaribo is limited, and is virtually non-existent in the interior of the country.

SAFETY ISSUES: Criminal activity throughout the country is on the rise and foreigners, including Americans, may be viewed as targets of opportunity. Burglary, armed robbery and violent crime occur with some frequency in Paramaribo and in outlying areas. Pick pocketing and robbery are increasingly common in the major business and shopping districts of the capital. Visitors should avoid wearing expensive or flashy jewelry or displaying large amounts of money in public.(*) (Top)

PEOPLE (August 2004)
Nationality: Noun--Surinamer(s). Adjective--Surinamese.
Population (2001): 441,356.
Annual growth rate (2003): 1.3%.
Ethnic groups: Hindustani (East Indian) 37%, Creole 31%, Javanese 15%, Bush Negro 10%, Amerindians 3%, Chinese 1.7% (percentages date from 1972 census, the last in which ethnicity data was collected).
Religions: Hindu, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Dutch Reformed, Moravian, several other Christian denominations, Jewish, Baha'i.
Languages: Dutch (official), English, Sranan Tongo (Creole language), Hindustani, Javanese.
Education: Years compulsory--ages 6-12. Literacy--90%. Health: Infant mortality rate (2000)--27.1/1,000. Life expectancy (2000)--70.7 yrs.
Work force (100,000): Government--35%; private sector--41%; parastatal companies--10%; unemployed--14%. (Top)

GEOGRAPHY
Area: 163,194 sq. km. (63,037 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Georgia.
Cities: Capital--Paramaribo (pop. 243,556). Other cities--Nieuw Nickerie, Moengo.
Terrain: Varies from coastal swamps to savanna to hills.
Climate: Tropical. (Top)

GOVERNMENT
Type: Constitutional democracy.
Constitution: September 30, 1987.
Independence: November 25, 1975.
Branches: Executive--president, vice president, Council of Ministers. Legislative--elected 51-member National Assembly made up of representatives of political parties. Judicial--Court of Justice.
Administrative subdivisions: 10 districts.
Political parties: Governing Coalition--National Party of Suriname (NPS), Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Pertjaja Luhur, Suriname Workers Party (SPA). Other parties in the National Assembly--Democratic Alternative '91 (DA 91), Democratic National Platform (DNP) 2000, Political Wing of the FAL (Federation of Agricultural Workers), Progressive Workers and Farmers Union (PALU), National Democratic Party (NDP), Democratic Party (DP), Javanese Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Independent Progressive Democratic Alternative (OPDA).
Suffrage: Universal at 18. (*) (Top)

ECONOMY
GDP (2001): $833 million. (U.S.$)
Annual growth rate real GDP (2001): 1.9%.
Per capita GDP (2001): $1,672.
Natural resources: Bauxite, gold, oil, iron ore, other minerals; forests; hydroelectric potential; fish and shrimp.
Agriculture: Products--rice, bananas, timber, and citrus fruits.
Industry: Types--alumina, oil, fish, shrimp, gold, lumber.
Trade (2001): Exports--$479 million (USD): alumina, wood and wood products, rice, bananas, fish, and shrimp. Major markets--U.S. (about 25%), Norway, Netherlands, and other European countries. Imports--$501 million: capital equipment, petroleum, iron and steel products, agricultural products, and consumer goods. Major suppliers--U.S. (about 40%), Netherlands, EU (about 30%), and Caribbean (CARICOM) countries (20%).(*) (Top)