Geography of Suriname

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File:Suriname geology NL annot.svg
Topographic map of Suriname and EEZ (exclusive economic zone).

Suriname is located in the northern part of South America and is part of Caribbean South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana. It is mostly covered by tropical rainforest, containing a great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, are increasingly threatened by new development. There is a relatively small population, most of which live along the coast.

There are currently two unresolved border disputes that affect the geography of Suriname, namely the Tigri Area in the southwestern region near Guyana and also the Marouini/Litani region with French Guiana in the southeast.

Location

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Continent: South America

Area

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Area - comparative: See order of magnitude 1 E+11 m². Slightly larger than Tunisia.

Land boundaries

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File:Suriname1991 Karte umstrittene Gebiete.jpg
Suriname with the disputed areas, including the Tigri Area controlled by Guyana and southeastern area controlled by French Guiana.
File:Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië-Surinam north-Benj004ency01ill stitched.jpg
Suriname (circa 1914) in the Encyclopedia of the Dutch West Indies, by Surinamese cartographer Herman Benjamins and Dutch ethnographer Johannes Snelleman.

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Border countries:

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  • French Guiana - Script error: No such module "convert".
  • Guyana - Script error: No such module "convert".

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Maritime claims

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Climate and climate change

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Suriname has a tropical rainforest climate and a tropical monsoon climate, with hot humid conditions year-round.[1]

Climate change in both Suriname and the wider world is leading to hotter temperatures and more extreme weather. As a fairly poor country, its contributions to global climate change have been limited. Suriname has a large forest cover, the country has been running a carbon negative economy since 2014.[2] Hotter temperatures[3] and changes in precipitation trends[4] are predicted because of climate change.

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Terrain

Most of the country is made up of rolling hills, but there is a narrow coastal plain that has swampy terrain.

A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 781 km² of tidal flats in Suriname, making it the 34th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.[5]

Elevation extremes

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Highest point: Juliana Top - Script error: No such module "convert".

Natural resources

Timber, hydropower, fish, forests, hydroelectric potential, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite and gold. Small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and iron ore. It also has sizeable oil.

Water

The country has one large reservoir, the Brokopondo Reservoir. Several rivers run through it, including the Suriname River, Nickerie River and Maroni or Marowijne River.

Land use

(2018 Estimates)

Arable land: 0.4%
Permanent crops: 0.0%
permanent pasture: 0.1%
forest: 94.6%
Other: 4.9%

Irrigated land

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Natural hazards

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Environment

File:Share Of Forest Area In Total Land Area, Top Countries (2021).svg
Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021). Suriname has the highest percentage of forest cover in the world.

Current issues

Deforestation is a real problem as timber is cut for export. There is also a lot of pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities.

Climate change

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International agreements

Suriname has agreed to the following agreements: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping--London Convention, Marine Dumping--London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Paris Accords Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling[6]

Extreme points

See also

References

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External links

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