According to COUNTRYAAH, Suriname is a State of South America (163,820 km²). Capital: Paramaribo. Administrative division: districts (10). Population: 563,402 (2017 estimate). Language: Dutch (official), sranan tongo, sarnami. Religion: Christians 48.83%, Hindus 22.3%, Muslims 13.9%, atheists 12.3%, others 3.1%. Currency unit: Surinamese dollar (100 cents). Human Development Index: 0.72 (100th place). Borders: Atlantic Ocean (N), French Guiana (E), Brazil (S), Guyana (W). Member of: OAS, OCI, UN, UNASUR, WTO, CARICOM, associated with MERCOSUR.
Population
The first relevant Dutch settlements were founded towards the end of the century. XVII at the mouth of the Suriname River; very soon the arrival of African slaves, destined to work in the sugar cane and coffee plantations, was massive, so much so that in 1775 there were approx. 5,000 Europeans against 75,000 blacks. Paramaribo became the center of the colony and alone housed approx. half of the whites, dedicated to commercial and port activities. The colonization areas progressively extended along the valleys of the Suriname, Cottica and Commewijne rivers; at the end of the century. XVIII there were already 750 plantations that fueled lively trade with Europe. The contribution of populations of African origin continued to be conspicuous, bush negroes. With the abolition of slavery, the Dutch began to immigrate Asians, especially from India and their colony of the Dutch Indies, now Indonesia; the original residents of the country, the Amerindians, mostly hunters and fishermen of the forest, remained increasingly marginalized. Currently the Indo-Pakistanis make up approx. 27% of the population, the Creoles, descendants of Dutch settlers and the first black slaves, 15.7%, Indonesians 13.7%, blacks 21.7%, while Chinese, Europeans, Amerindians and others represent, overall, 8.1 % (2012 data). There is considerable social tension between the various ethnic groups. The group that has the greatest importance in the political life of the state is however that, numerically smaller, of the Creoles, who have always been in conflict with the other great community, that of the Indians. The annual growth in the 2015-2020 period was 0.9% with a moderate trend also due to the migratory flows that in the past have brought thousands of Surinamese outside the borders: in the decade following the conquest of independence, about a third of the residents have left the country, heading in particular to Holland. The density is 3.44 residents / km² and is the lowest in all of South America; in fact, with the exception of the few settlements located along the banks of navigable rivers, the population lives almost exclusively in the coastal strip, where cultivation is possible, and in mining centers, and the inland areas are practically uninhabited. The only real city is the capital Paramaribo, located on the left bank of the Suriname River at approx. 30 km from the mouth, an important port and commercial center, which hosts over half of the country’s total population, with a population density of 1339 residents / km². Among the other centers, Nieuw Nickerie and Lelydorp are the only ones with over 10,000 residents.
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Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Paramaribo (Suriname)
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 31 ° C | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 31 ° C | 32 ° C | 33 ° C | 33 ° C | 32 ° C | 31 ° C |
| Night temperature | 22 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 24 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 24 ° C | 24 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C |
| Water temperature | 27 ° C | 28 ° C | 27 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 200 | 130 | 120 | 180 | 280 | 300 | 220 | 161 | 92 | 91 | 110 | 184 |
| Rainy days | 17 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 17 |
| Hours of sunshine | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Sunrise | 6:55 | 6:55 | 6:45 | 6:35 | 6:25 | 6:25 | 6:35 | 6:35 | 6:30 | 6:25 | 6:30 | 6:40 |
| Sunset | 18:45 | 18:55 | 18:50 | 18:50 | 18:50 | 18:55 | 19:00 | 18:55 | 18:40 | 18:25 | 18:20 | 18:30 |
Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Paramaribo is 27.1 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is September (28.5 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 26 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Paramaribo is 28 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 2068 mm on 187 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of January, April, May, June, July and December are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, about 1364 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Paramaribo.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, September is the sunniest month with an average of 9 hours of sunshine per day. In the annual mean, the sun shines an average of 6.6 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
