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Geography of Suriname

Continent	South America
Region	Caribbean
Coordinates	4°00′N 56°00′W / 4.000°N 56.000°W / 4.000; -56.000
Area	Ranked 90th
• Total	163,820 km (63,250 sq mi)
• Land	95.33%
• Water	4.67%
Coastline	386 km (240 mi)
Borders	total length 1,707 km (1,061 mi)
Highest point	Juliana Top 1,230 meters (4,040 ft)
Lowest point	Caribbean Sea 0 metres (0 ft)
Longest river	Courantyne River 724 km (450 mi)
Largest lake	Brokopondo Reservoir 1,560 km (970 mi)
Exclusive economic zone	127,772 km (49,333 sq mi)

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°00′N 56°00′W / 4.000°N 56.000°W / 4.000; -56.000

Continent: South America

Area

Total: 163,820 square kilometers (63,250 sq mi)
Land: 156,000 square kilometers (60,000 sq mi)
Water: 7,820 square kilometers (3,020 sq mi)

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

Land boundaries

Total: 1,703 kilometers (1,058 mi)

Border countries:

• Brazil - 593 kilometers (368 mi)
• French Guiana - 510 kilometers (320 mi)
• Guyana - 600 kilometers (370 mi)

Coastline: 386 kilometers (240 mi)

Maritime claims

Exclusive economic zone: 127,772 km (49,333 sq mi) and 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)

Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

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 meters (6.6 ft) below Sea Level.
Highest point: Juliana Top - 1,230 meters (4,040 ft)

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 square kilometers (200 sq mi) (2003)

Natural hazards

Tropical Showers, no hurricanes.

Environment

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.

Climate change

Climate change in Suriname is leading to warmer temperatures and more extreme weather events in Suriname. As a relatively poor country, its contributions to global climate change have been limited. Because of the large forest cover, the country has been running a carbon negative economy since 2014.

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

See also

• Tigri Area, an unresolved territorial dispute involving Guyana and Suriname.
• Borders of Suriname, consisting of land borders with three countries: Guyana, Brazil, and France (via French Guiana)

References

1. Sánchez-Dávila, Gabriel (15 Sep 2022). "Clasificación climática de Sudamérica". ArcGIS StoryMaps (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 November 2024.
2. "Suriname's climate promise, for a sustainable future". UN News. 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
3. "Historical Climate Data Suriname". climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
4. "Climate Data Projects Suriname". climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
5. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Paramaribo".
6. "Klimatafel von Nickerie / Surinam" (PDF). Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
7. Murray, N.J.; Phinn, S.R.; DeWitt, M.; Ferrari, R.; Johnston, R.; Lyons, M.B.; Clinton, N.; Thau, D.; Fuller, R.A. (2019). "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats". Nature. 565 (7738): 222–225. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8. PMID 30568300. S2CID 256767470.
8. Hausfather, Zeke; Peters, Glen (29 January 2020). "Emissions – the 'business as usual' story is misleading". Nature. 577 (7792): 618–20. Bibcode:2020Natur.577..618H. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00177-3. PMID 31996825.
9. Schuur, Edward A.G.; Abbott, Benjamin W.; Commane, Roisin; Ernakovich, Jessica; Euskirchen, Eugenie; Hugelius, Gustaf; Grosse, Guido; Jones, Miriam; Koven, Charlie; Leshyk, Victor; Lawrence, David; Loranty, Michael M.; Mauritz, Marguerite; Olefeldt, David; Natali, Susan; Rodenhizer, Heidi; Salmon, Verity; Schädel, Christina; Strauss, Jens; Treat, Claire; Turetsky, Merritt (2022). "Permafrost and Climate Change: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks From the Warming Arctic". Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 47: 343–371. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011847. Medium-range estimates of Arctic carbon emissions could result from moderate climate emission mitigation policies that keep global warming below 3°C (e.g., RCP4.5). This global warming level most closely matches country emissions reduction pledges made for the Paris Climate Agreement...
10. Phiddian, Ellen (5 April 2022). "Explainer: IPCC Scenarios". Cosmos. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023. "The IPCC doesn't make projections about which of these scenarios is more likely, but other researchers and modellers can. The Australian Academy of Science, for instance, released a report last year stating that our current emissions trajectory had us headed for a 3°C warmer world, roughly in line with the middle scenario. Climate Action Tracker predicts 2.5 to 2.9°C of warming based on current policies and action, with pledges and government agreements taking this to 2.1°C.
11. "Suriname's climate promise, for a sustainable future". UN News. 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
12. "Suriname's Second National Communication - In Progress | UNDP Climate Change Adaptation". www.adaptation-undp.org. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
13. "Suriname". 22 May 2024.

External links

• "Guyana, or, the Kingdom of the Amazons" is a map from the 1600s of what is now known as Suriname

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