$NA
Agriculture - products:
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock
Industries:
oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly
Industrial production growth rate:
0.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Electricity - production:
4.341 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Electricity - consumption:
3.438 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
480,200 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Oil - consumption:
86,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Oil - exports:
303,800 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 40
Oil - imports:
11,400 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
Oil - proved reserves:
5 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 111
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Natural gas - proved reserves:
84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 57
Current account balance:
-$1.314 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 127 -$3.447 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$11.67 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $8.879 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar
Exports - partners:
China 49.8%, Japan 33.4%, Indonesia 5.5% (2008)
Imports:
$8.229 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99 $7.722 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners:
China 20%, Saudi Arabia 8.4%, UAE 6.2%, India 6.1%, Egypt 5.5%,
Italy 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.399 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 119 $1.378 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$33.72 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 60 $29.42 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 2.1 (2008 est.), 2.06 (2007), 2.172 (2006), 2.4361 (2005), 2.5791 (2004)
note: in October 2007 Sudan redenominated its currency by transforming 100 units of Sudanese dinar into one unit of Sudanese pound
Communications ::Sudan
Telephones - main lines in use:
356,100 (2008) country comparison to the world: 108
Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.186 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 55
Telephone system:
general assessment: well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially with wide coverage of most major cities
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, fiber optic, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: country code - 249; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sd
Internet hosts:
48 (2009) country comparison to the world: 207
Internet users:
4.2 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 48
Transportation ::Sudan
Airports:
121 (2009) country comparison to the world: 49
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 102
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 56
under 914 m: 28 (2009)
Heliports:
4 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 5,978 km country comparison to the world: 30 narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2008)
Roadways:
total: 11,900 km country comparison to the world: 133 paved: 4,320 km
unpaved: 7,580 km (2000)
Waterways:
4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2008) country comparison to the world: 25
Merchant marine:
total: 3 country comparison to the world: 139 by type: cargo 2, carrier 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Port Sudan
Military ::Sudan
Military branches:
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy (includes Marines),
Sudanese Air Force (Sikakh al-Jawwiya as-Sudaniya), Popular Defense
Forces; Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA): Land Forces (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-33 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 12-24 month service obligation (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,639,923
females age 16-49: 9,321,106 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,836,971
females age 16-49: 5,942,043 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 498,376
female: 479,005 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Transnational Issues ::Sudan
Disputes - international:
the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese refugees, which includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their homes by Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan, in turn, hosted about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and Congolese as refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and ethnic fighting in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times; Sudan claims to administer the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary with Egypt along the 22nd Parallel; both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s, but Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 157,220 (Eritrea); 25,023 (Chad); 11,009 (Ethiopia); 7,895 (Uganda); 5,023 (Central African Republic)
IDPs: 5.3 - 6.2 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in
Darfur region) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked internally for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan is also a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked abroad for domestic servitude; Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the country, as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries for domestic servitude; the terrorist rebel organization, Lord's Resistance Army, continues to harbor small numbers of Sudanese and Ugandan children in the southern part of the country for use as cooks, porters, and combatants; some of these children are also trafficked across borders into Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo; militia groups in Darfur, some of which are linked to the government, abduct women for short periods of forced labor and to perpetrate sexual violence; during the two decades-long north-south civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were abducted and subsequently enslaved by members of the Missiriya and Rezeigat tribes; while there have been no known new abductions of Dinka by members of Baggara tribes in the last few years, inter-tribal abductions continue in southern Sudan
tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; combating human trafficking through law enforcement or prevention measures was not a priority for the government in 2007 (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Suriname (South America)
Introduction ::Suriname
Background:
First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party New Front coalition - returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since; the coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005.
Geography ::Suriname
Location:
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
French Guiana and Guyana
Geographic coordinates:
4 00 N, 56 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 163,820 sq km country comparison to the world: 91 land: 156,000 sq km
water: 7,820 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,703 km
border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
Coastline:
386 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 0.36%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 99.58% (2005)
Irrigated land:
510 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
122 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.67 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%)
per capita: 1,489 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast
People ::Suriname
Population:
481,267 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.1% (male 66,603/female 64,035)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 159,525/female 160,871)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 13,004/female 17,229) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.9 years
male: 27.5 years
female: 28.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.103% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 123
Birth rate:
16.8 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Death rate:
5.51 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 176
Net migration rate:
-0.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Urbanization:
urban population: 75% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.81 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 109 male: 22.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.73 years country comparison to the world: 97 male: 71 years
female: 76.65 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.99 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.4% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,800 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever, Mayaro virus, and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Surinamer(s)
adjective: Surinamese
Ethnic groups:
Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%
Religions:
Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman
Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Languages:
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo
(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of
Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca
among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 92%
female: 87.2% (2004 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 11 years
female: 13 years (2002)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Suriname
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Suriname
conventional short form: Suriname
local long form: Republiek Suriname
local short form: Suriname
former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
name: Paramaribo
geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Independence:
25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Constitution:
ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987
Legal system:
based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ramdien SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate receives a two-thirds constitutional majority in the National Assembly after two votes, by a simple majority in the larger United People's Assembly (893 representatives from the national, local, and regional councils), for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN reelected president; percent of vote - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN 62.9%, Rabin PARMESSAR 35.4%, other 1.7%; note - after two votes in the parliament failed to secure a two-thirds majority for a candidate, the vote then went to a special session of the United People's Assembly on 3 August 2005
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.7%, NDP 22.2%, VVV 13.8%, A-Com 7.2%, A-1 5.9%, other 11.2%; seats by party - NF 23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3
Judicial branch:
Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate court (justices are nominated for life); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
Political parties and leaders:
Alternative-1 or A-1 (a coalition of Amazone Party of Suriname or
APS [Kenneth VAN GENDEREN], Democrats of the 21st Century or D-21
[Soewarto MOESTADJA], Nieuw Suriname or NS [Radjen Nanan PANDAY],
Political Wing of the FAL or PVF [Jiwan SITAL], Trefpunt 2000 or
T-2000 [Arti JESSURUN]); General Interior Development Party or ABOP
[Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire
BOUTERSE]; New Front for Democracy and Development or NF (a
coalition that includes A-Combination or A-Com, Democratic
Alternative 1991 or DA-91, an independent, business-oriented party
[Winston JESSURUN], National Party Suriname or NPS [Ronald
VENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ramdien SARDJOE], Pertjaja
Luhur or PL [Salam Paul SOMOHARDJO], Surinamese Labor Party or SPA
[Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or
DOE [Marten SCHALKWIJK]; People's Alliance for Progress or VVV (a
coalition of Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP-2000 [Jules
WIJDENBOSCH], Grassroots Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD
[Tjan GOBARDHAN], Party for National Unity and Solidarity of the
Highest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], Party for Progression,
Justice, and Perseverance or PPRS [Renee KAIMAN], Pendawalima or PL
[Raymond SAPOEN]); Progressive Laborers and Farmers Union or PALU
[Jim HOK]; Progressive Political Party or PPP [Surinder MUNGRA];
Seeka [Paul ABENA]; Union of Progressive Surinamers or UPS [Sheoradj
PANDAY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE]; Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE]; Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]
International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDB, IFAD,
IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques Ruben Constantijn KROSS
chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878
consulate(s) general: Miami
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa Bobbie SCHREIBER HUGHES
embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo
mailing address: US Department of State, PO Box 1821, Paramaribo
telephone: [597] 472-900
FAX: [597] 410-025
Flag description:
five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band
Economy ::Suriname
Economy - overview:
The economy is dominated by the mining industry, with exports of alumina, gold, and oil accounting for about 85% of exports and 25% of government revenues, making the economy highly vulnerable to mineral price volatility. Prospects for local onshore oil production are good, and a drilling program is underway. Offshore oil drilling was given a boost in 2004 when the State Oil Company (Staatsolie) signed exploration agreements with several Western oil companies. Bidding on these new offshore blocks was completed in July 2006. The short-term economic outlook depends on the government's ability to control inflation and on the development of projects in the bauxite and gold mining sectors, though investment in these projects may slow with the tightening of global credit markets. Suriname has received aid for these projects from Netherlands, Belgium, and the European Development Fund. Suriname's economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition. In 2000, the government of Ronald VENETIAAN, returned to office and inherited an economy with inflation of over 100% and a growing fiscal deficit. He quickly implemented an austerity program, raised taxes, attempted to control spending, and tamed inflation. The VENETIAAN administration also has created a stabilization fund to insulate future revenue from commodity shocks. These economic policies are likely to remain in effect during VENETIAAN's third term.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$4.226 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 164 $3.987 billion (2007 est.)
$3.779 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.933 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 61 5.5% (2007 est.)
4.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 $8,500 (2007 est.)
$8,100 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 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: 171
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 14%
services: 78% (2004)
Unemployment rate:
9.5% (2004) country comparison to the world: 122
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: 110
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.23% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 89 9.71% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$484.7 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 95 $416.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.018 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 95 $824.4 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$793.1 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 112 $651 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: