Suriname

Suriname's flag symbolizes the concepts of ethnic unity, progress and love, hope and fertility, and peace and justice. Its flag has five horizontal divisions.

One, the green bands in the top and bottom sections symbolize hope and fertility.

Two, the white bands in the second and fourth sections symbolize peace and justice.

Three, the third section has a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered on a red background.

Red represents progress and love. The star symbolizes the unity of all ethnic groups. The red section is the largest and is four times the width of each green section. Each white band is half the width of each green section.

The coat of arms and the national flag are Suriname's national emblems.

Specifically, the coat of arms symbolizes Suriname's past as a country inhabited by indigenous populations, escaped slaves and Dutch settlers. It also symbolizes the country's present and future based on justice, love and loyalty. Its colors include the blue, green and yellow of its natural resources and the red of the nation's passionate love for the African, American, Asian, Australian and European heritages of its people. The symbolism is repeated in the Suriname flag, whose yellow star stands for cultural unity, its white stripes for justice, its red band for love, and its green band for its fertile resources.

The Arawak in terms of indigenous peoples and the English and the Dutch in terms of Europeans were Suriname's discoverers.

Specifically, the Arawak traveled from their native Caribbean island homeland to the northern coasts of Suriname. They settled as fishers and hunters of Suriname's narrow coastal zone no later than 3000 B.C.E. Some 4,600 years later that same coastal area and the nearby coastal plains attracted English and Dutch traders. The Dutch are thought to have established the first coastal tradings posts before the English, who nevertheless established the first permanent European settlements between 1630 and 1650.

Bauxite and gold are minerals that are mined in both Guyana and Suriname.

Specifically, bauxite is a traditionally high revenue earner in terms of exports for both northern South American countries. As bauxite deposits are depleted, gold mining is assuming greater importance in both Guyana and Suriname. Additionally, diamond mining may become the profitable activity in Suriname that it already is in Guyana.

No, a U.S. passport holder cannot get a visa on arrival in Suriname.

Specifically, the U.S. passport holder must have a valid passport and a valid visa already in hand. Additionally, a business visa must be accompanied by a letter of explanation from the sponsoring company as to the reason for the visit. But whether a business visa or not, the U.S. passport holder also must be able to produce a valid return ticket.

The Guianas is a term that is used for the countries of Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana.

Specifically, Suriname is the former Dutch Guiana, from its colonial years under the European Kingdom of the Netherlands. Guyana is the former British Guiana, from its colonial years under the British. French Guiana alone is not yet independent since it retains its status as overseas department of France.

Over 60 percent of the population speaks Dutch, the only official language, as a mother tongue. Dutch is spoken as a second or third language by the rest of the population.

Sranan Tongo, a local creole language, is the most widely used language in the street.

The third most used language is Surinamese Hindi. It's a dialect of the North Indian language Bhojpuri. Hindus are the largest ethnic group at 27 percent of the population.

Javanese is spoken by 15 percent of the population.

Surinamese Maroons make up 15 percent of the population. They speak a variety of recognized regional creole languages, such as Kwinti, Matawai, Ndyuka, Paramaccan, and Saramaccan.

Seventy-one (71) for males and seventy-six (76) for females are the life expectancies in Suriname.

Specifically, the higher life expectancy is favored by the healthy lifestyles of the Surinamese. The Surinamese diet favors fresh fruits and vegetables and seafood. The lifestyle favors exercise since walking, boating and bicycling are favored activities.

Three major exports as of 1996 for Suriname are:

1. rice at about 8%
2. fish and shrimp at about 11%
3. bauxite (which is made into aluminum) at about 72%

More include:

Bananas, coconuts, sugar, coffee, cotton, citrus fruits, cassava, timber, and crude oil.

Indonesians are the Southeast Asian people, some of whose ancestors, especially from Java, were brought by the Dutch to settled the colony of Suriname.

Specifically, the Dutch operated Dutch East and West Indies Companies. The former protected Dutch interests in Southeast Asia. The latter protected Dutch settlements in the Caribbean and northern South America. The two companies often cooperated in the shuffling of contract labor between the two geographically distinct spheres of influence in Asia and in the Americas.

The year 1630 tends to be given as the date upon which Suriname first was colonized.

Specifically, that is the year in which an English colony was founded by Captain Marshall. The settlers planted tobacco, from which they expected to make considerable profits. But the endeavor failed.