Suriname is located in northern 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.
As part of the foreign relations of Suriname, the country is a participant in numerous international organizations. International tensions have arisen due to Suriname's status as a trans-shipment point for South American recreational drugs destined mostly for Europe.
The Guiana Shield is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast. The higher elevations on the shield are called the Guiana Highlands, which is where the table-like mountains called tepuis are found. The Guiana Highlands are also the source of some of the world's most spectacular waterfalls such as Angel Falls, Kaieteur Falls and Kuquenan Falls.
The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word Guayanas, are a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:
The Oyapock or Oiapoque River is a 370-km (230-mi)–long river in South America that forms most of the border between French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá.
The Courantyne/Corentyne/Corantijn River is a river in northern South America in Suriname. It is the longest river in the country.
Saint-Georges is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. It lies on the Oyapock River, opposite the Brazilian town of Oiapoque. The town contains a town hall, a French Foreign Legion detachment and some hotels.
Oiapoque is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 20,226 and its area is 22,625 square kilometres (8,736 sq mi). Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, connecting the village with Saint-Georges in French Guiana, was constructed but not opened to pedestrian or vehicle traffic.
The golden-winged parakeet is a species of bird in the family Psittacidae, the true parrots.
The yellow-crowned elaenia is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in eastern Orinoco Basin Venezuela, the Guianas, and along the Amazon River corridor; also Colombia, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador and Peru.
The Guianan red cotinga is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae, the cotingas. It is one of two species in the genus Phoenicircus.
The Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA) is a development plan to link South America's economies through new transportation, energy, and telecommunications projects.
The Tumuk Humak Mountains are a mountain range in South America, stretching about 120 kilometers (75 mi) east–west in the border area between Brazil in the south and Suriname and French Guiana in the north. In the language of the Apalam and Wayana peoples, Tumucumaque means "the mountain rock symbolizing the struggle between the shaman and the spirits". The range is very remote and almost inaccessible.
Cetopsidium minutum is a species of whale catfish found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela where it occurs in the coastal rivers north of the Amazon to the Orinoco River.
The Oyapock River Bridge spans the Oyapock River, linking the cities of Oiapoque in Amapá, Brazil and Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock in French Guiana, France. The bridge is cable-stayed, with two towers rising to a height of 83 metres (272 ft) and a length of 378 metres (1,240 ft). There are two lanes for vehicles with a total width of 9 metres (30 ft) and a pedestrian sidewalk with a width of 2.50 metres. The vertical clearance under the bridge is 15 metres (49 ft).
The borders of Suriname are subject to longstanding disputes between Suriname and its neighbouring countries Guyana and France. Only the border with Brazil has been uncontroversial since 1906.
Nearly half of all Brazilians in France live in the overseas region of French Guiana, including many who have crossed the 730 km border illegally. While Brazilian citizens may travel to Metropolitan France without a visa, they do need a visa to enter French Guiana.
Indigenous peoples in Suriname, Native Surinamese, or Amerindian Surinamese, are Surinamese people who are of indigenous ancestry. They comprise approximately 3.8% of Suriname's population of 566,846.
The Guianan moist forests (NT0125) is an ecoregion in the east of Venezuela, north of Brazil and the Guyanas. It is in the Amazon biome. The climate is hot and humid, with two rainy seasons each year. As of 1996 the tropical rainforest habitat was relatively intact, although there were mounting threats from illegal logging and gold mining.
