Geography of Suriname

Location:
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:

Map references:
South America

Area:
total:
163,270 sq km
land:
161,470 sq km
water:
1,800 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:
total:
1,707 km
border countries: Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Coastline:
386 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm

Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain:
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
highest point:
Wilhelmina Gebergte 1,286 m

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
96%
other:
4% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
600 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, most of which lives along the coast

See also : Suriname