Geography of Suriname



Suriname is located in the northern part of South America and is part of Caribbean South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana. It is mostly covered by tropical rainforest, containing a great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, are increasingly threatened by new development. There is a relatively small population, most of which live along the coast.

There are currently two unresolved border disputes that affect the geography of Suriname, namely the Tigri Area in the southwestern region near Guyana and also the Marouini/Litani region with French Guiana in the southeast.

Location
Geographic coordinates: 4°N, -56°W

Continent: South America

Area
Total: 163820 km2 Land: 156000 km2 Water: 7820 km2

Area - comparative: See order of magnitude 1 E+11 m². Slightly larger than Tunisia.

Land boundaries
Total: 1703 km

Border countries:
 * Brazil - 593 km
 * French Guiana - 510 km
 * Guyana - 600 km

Coastline: 386 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 127,772 km2 and 200 nmi

Territorial sea: 12 nmi

Climate and climate change
Suriname has a tropical rainforest climate and a tropical monsoon climate, with hot humid conditions year-round.

Climate change in both Suriname and the wider world is leading to hotter temperatures and more extreme weather. As a fairly poor country, its contributions to global climate change have been limited. Suriname has a large forest cover, the country has been running a carbon negative economy since 2014. Hotter temperatures and changes in precipitation trends are predicted because of climate change.

Terrain
Most of the country is made up of rolling hills, but there is a narrow coastal plain that has swampy terrain.

A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 781 km² of tidal flats in Suriname, making it the 34th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Unnamed location in the coastal plain - 2 m below Sea Level. Highest point: Juliana Top - 1230 m

Natural resources
Timber, hydropower, fish, forests, hydroelectric potential, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite and gold. Small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and iron ore. It also has sizeable oil.

Water
The country has one large reservoir, the Brokopondo Reservoir. Several rivers run through it, including the Suriname River, Nickerie River and Maroni or Marowijne River.

Land use
(2018 Estimates)

Arable land: 0.4% Permanent crops: 0.0% permanent pasture: 0.1% forest: 94.6% Other: 4.9%

Irrigated land
510 km2 (2003)

Natural hazards
Tropical Showers, no hurricanes.

Current issues
Deforestation is a real problem as timber is cut for export. There is also a lot of pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities.

International agreements
Suriname has agreed to the following agreements: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping--London Convention, Marine Dumping--London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Paris Accords Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Extreme points

 * Northernmost point – Oostelijke Polders
 * Southernmost point – Border with Brazil Coeroeni
 * Westernmost point – Border with Guyana, Sipaliwini District
 * Easternmost point – Border with French Guiana, Sipaliwini District
 * Highest point – Julianatop: 1,230 m
 * Lowest point – unnamed location on the coastal plain: -2 m