The unity of all ethnical groups is represented by one star. The colour (yellow/gold) of the star stands for a golden future. The red stripe stands for progress and love, the green for hope and fertility, and white for peace and justice.
Mark Sensen, 2 March 1996

In 1667 according to the Treaty of Breda, New Amsterdam (modern New York) was exchanged for Suriname, which was conquered by the Zeeland navy. In 1682 it was handed over to the GWC (Dutch West India Company). On 21 May 1683 the 'Societeit van Suriname' ('Society of Suriname') was established, in which the GWC, the City of Amsterdam and Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck participated. The first known arms of Suriname can be found of seals from around 1684. It consisted of the arms of the City of Amsterdam, the GWC (a three-master), and the Family of Van Aerssen, together with two S'ses, an Indian shooting an arrow, the motto 'Justitia Pietas Fides', and two Indians as supporters. In 1770 the shares of the Van Aerssen family were taken over by the City of Amsterdam, so the arms of Van Aerssen were dropped. In 1795 the 'Society of Suriname' is liquidated, and the colony is governed by the 'Raad der Colonien' ('Council of Colonies'). New arms are adopted, consisting of the three-master, flying a (Dutch) flag with 'R.v.S.' for 'Raad van Suriname' ('Council of Suriname'). On 1 March 1803 the Batavian Republic abolished all previous adopted arms, and the Dutch arms (a lion of gold with sword and bunch of arrows) with 'Suriname' underneath became the new arms of Suriname. After the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established in 1815, the arms of the kingdom were also valid for the colonies. Nevertheless, the arms with the three-master can be found on bank-notes and headings of gazettes, and also on a (unofficial?) flag.
The modern were adopted 15 December 1959, several years after becoming autonomous within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1954. When Suriname became independent on 25 November 1975 these arms were slightly revised (the hair of the Indians was changed from blond to black.....).
Sources: "Wapens en Zegels van Suriname", Mr. Johanna Felhoen Kraal, 1950. "Keesings Mark Sensen, 19 April 1999

Geography and Population

Land area: 164.000 km² (1 km² = 0.3861 sq. miles).

Population: 475,996 (2008) mainly of Amerindian, African, East-Indian, Indonesian, Chinese, and Dutch origin.

Location: Suriname is located between 2º and 6º North of the Equator. The shape of the country is almost square.The northern border is the Atlantic Ocean. The west side is bordered by the People's Republic of Guyana, and the east side by French Guiana -both countries are accessible by paved roads. Brazil is at the southern border, which runs through the mountains and hilly savannas of the Amazon region.

MAP

Climate
Temperatures average about 27° C (81° F) and the climate is usually warm and humid. Thankfully,the constant trade winds bring cooling relief. During dry seasons, the temperature may reach 36° C (96° F) at mid-day in the shade. At night, the temperature rarely drops below 24° C (75° F).

Time zone
Surinam time is two hours later than Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the USA and three hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in Europe .

Phone
Country code (597) + 6 digit local number

Languages

There are different cultural groups within the country,thus they all speak their own language: obviously the Amerindians communicate in Karaib or Arowak, East-Indians speak in Sarnami Hindostani, which is based on Hindi, the Maroons talk in Aucaans or Sarramacan and the Indonesians use their native Javanese tongue.

The official language is Dutch while many people in Paramaribo speak in English, especially at the tourist spots. The government and media speak in Dutch. Dutch is taught in schools and high school students are required to learn and understand English and Spanish. This two dilects are usually their second foriegn language.