Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a medium level of human development; its economy is heavily dependent on its abundant natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural products. Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the United Nations, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
As part of the foreign relations of Suriname, the country is a participant in numerous international organizations.
The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony utilizing slavery for sugar cultivation. With abolition in the late 19th century, planters sought labor from China, Madeira, India, and Indonesia, which was also colonized by the Dutch. Dutch is Suriname's official language. Owing to its diverse population, it has also developed a creole language, Sranan Tongo.
General Jehangir Karamat is a retired four-star rank military officer, diplomat, public intellectual, and a former professor of political science at the National Defense University. Prior to serving as a Chief of Army Staff, he also served as the 9th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1997 to 1998.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank named for former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. It is also a United States presidential memorial established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968. It self-identifies as nonpartisan.
The Paramaccan or Paramaka are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort, and the western border area of French Guiana. The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the tribe autonomy.
Anton de Kom University is the only university in Suriname. It is located in the capital, Paramaribo, and named for Anton de Kom, an anti-colonialist activist who was killed by the Nazis while in exile in the Netherlands.
The National Assembly is the Parliament, representing the legislative branch of government in Suriname. It is a unicameral legislature. The assembly has been situated in the former park house at the Independence Square in Paramaribo, after a fire destroyed the old building of representation on 1 August 1996. A reconstruction of the old building was completed in 2022.
Virginia's 8th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district located just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It comprises several populous cities and suburbs in Northern Virginia, including all of Alexandria, Arlington, and Falls Church, as well as parts of Fairfax County. Democrat Don Beyer has held the seat since 2015. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+26, it is the most Democratic district in Virginia.
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Suriname were established on 23 January 1976. Suriname has an embassy in Washington, D.C. since 1976, and a consulate in Miami. The United States had a consulate in Paramaribo since 25 November 1975, the date of independence which was upgraded to an embassy on 18 February 1976.
Netherlands–Suriname relations refers to the current and historical relations between the Netherlands and Suriname. Both nations share historic ties and a common language (Dutch) and are members of the Dutch Language Union.
Brazil–Suriname relations are the bilateral relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Suriname. Diplomatic relations were established on 3 March 1976. Brazil has an embassy in Paramaribo since the independence of Suriname on 25 November 1975. Suriname has an embassy in Brasília since 1976, and a consulate in Belém since 2012.
Guyana – Suriname relations are the bilateral relations between Guyana and Suriname. Suriname has an embassy in Georgetown. Guyana has an embassy in Paramaribo. The Courentyne River makes up most of the border between the two countries.
Niermala Badrising is a Surinamese diplomat and politician. She was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname in the cabinet of President Dési Bouterse between 12 August 2015 and 1 February 2017. She was ambassador to the United States from July 2017 until October 2021.
Albert Ramchand Ramdin is a Surinamese diplomat serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Santokhi cabinet since 16 July 2020. He is a member of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP). He was a diplomat until 2015 and was, among other roles, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Henk Ary Christiaan van der Zwan is a Dutch diplomat. He served as ambassador of the Netherlands to Estonia (2006–2010), Canada (2016–2020), and since 2021, Suriname.
Diplomatic relations between France and Suriname were established on 25 August 1976. Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana share a common border of 520 kilometres (320 mi). Suriname operates an embassy in Paris, a consulate in Cayenne, and an honorary consulate in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. France operates an embassy in Paramaribo, a consulate in Georgetown, Guyana, and an honorary consulate in Albina.
Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Suriname were established on 23 March 1979. Suriname has had an embassy in Havana since 2003. Cuba has had an embassy in Paramaribo since 1981.
Lokaloka is a village of Paramacca maroons in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The village is located on an island in the Marowijne River. Lokaloka is the last village of the Paramacca people.