Its All About the People

Suriname is a melting pot of culture. There are the East Indians 37%, Surinamese Creole 31%, the Javanese (Indonesian) 15%, and the Maroon (African slave descendants) 10%. As of recent years the Brazilian population has grown most of which are gold miners and now number 40,000+ members of the surinamese population and growing yearly.

As for religion there is no majority stakeholder, many of the people practice Christianity, either Roman Catholic or Protestant. And the Indian population is either Hindu of Islamic. The Islamic population however is the largest minority percentage in the world at 20%. There are other smaller pockets of religions. Old

While these numbers can only give you and idea of what the cultural environment of Suriname is like, to actually see it is a different story. During my recent visit it seemed that the majority of the population was either Hindu or Muslim. The Temples and Mosques peppered the city of

Paramaribo. Their spires reaching to the heavens, It was beautiful site. The communities were woven together like small families.

While many times the world over religion, politics and cultural differences breed separation within communities it would seem that the majority of the Surinamese people have found a common link among each other. Living side by side struggling to survive the people of this third world and often forgotten country have made their differences a part of their unity as a people.

How they Survive-The Economy As a Whole

Suriname has a massive mineral export business. They export gold, bauxite, and oil which accounts for a whopping 25% of the governments revenue but is also 85% of their exported assets.

The majority of their exports go to The Netherlands, Canada the United States and many of its Caribbean neighbors.

As of 2009 25% of the Suriname population is employed in the agricultural sector.

The figures provided below are courtesy of the CIA World Fact-book, and give a general outline of the countries financial situation as well as resource use and allocation for exports and imports.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.274 billion (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 $4.37 billion (2008 est.) $4.123 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.184 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-2.2% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149 6% (2008 est.) 5.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$9,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 $9,200 (2008 est.) $8,800 (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10.8% industry: 24.4% services: 64.8% (2005 est.)
Labor force:
165,600 (2007) country comparison to the world: 177
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 8% industry: 14% services: 78% (2004)
Unemployment rate:
9.5% (2004) country comparison to the world: 110
Population below poverty line:
70% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $392.6 million expenditures: $425.9 million (2004)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.4% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 157
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.23% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 96 9.71% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$484.7 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 103 $416.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.018 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 103 $824.4 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$793.1 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 118 $651 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products
Industries:
bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing
Industrial production growth rate:
6.5% (1994 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Electricity - production:
1.605 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
Electricity - consumption:
1.467 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 25.2% hydro: 74.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
15,280 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Oil - consumption:
14,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 141
Oil - exports:
4,308 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 109
Oil - imports:
6,296 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 151
Oil - proved reserves:
79.6 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 143
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 141
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Current account balance:
$24 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Exports:
$1.391 billion (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
Exports - commodities:
alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
Exports - partners:
Canada 36.1%, Belgium 12.5%, Norway 12.4%, UAE 8.9%, US 7.7% (2008)
Imports:
$1.297 billion (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 165
Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
US 31.1%, Netherlands 15.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.1%, China 7.7%, Japan 6.4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$263.3 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 124
Debt - external:
$504.3 million (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 158