Republic of Suriname

• Land area: 164.000 km² (1 km² = 0.3861 sq. miles).
  
• Population: 422,000 inhabitants mainly of Amerindian, African, East-Indian, Indonesian, Chinese, and Dutch origin.
  
• Suriname is located between 2º and 6º North of the Equator.
• The shape of the country is almost square.
  
• The northern border is the Atlantic Ocean. The west side is bordered by the People's Republic of Guyana, and the east side by French Guiana -both countries are accessible by paved roads.
  Brazil is at the southern border, which runs through the mountains and hilly savannas of the Amazon region.
  
• Climate
  The climate is warm and humid; temperatures average about 27° C (81° F). Even at night, the temperature rarely drops below 24° C (75° F). At mid-day during the dry seasons the temperature may reach 36° C (96° F) in the shade. The constant trade winds bring some cooling relief.
  
• Time zone
  Surinam time is two hours later than Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the USA and three hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in Europe.
• Phone
  Country code (597) + 6 digit local number
• Languages
  The official language, Dutch, is taught in the schools and used by government employees and the media. All Surinamers also speak Sranantongo, the local lingua franca. The different cultural groups each speak their own language: Amerindians speak in Karaib or Arowak; Maroons in Aucaans or Sarramacan; East-Indians communicate in Sarnami Hindostani, based on Hindi; and Indonesians use a Javanese language. The major languages spoken by the Chinese are Hakka and Mandarin. Brazilian gold miners and ladies of the night have introduced Portuguese words.
  Many people in Paramaribo speak English, especially at the tourist spots. High school students are required to study English and Spanish is usually their second foreign language.