Geography of Suriname
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Suriname is located in northern 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 rain forest, 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.
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[edit] Location
Map references: South America
[edit] Area
Total: 163,270 square kilometers (63,040 sq mi)
Land: 161,470 square kilometers (62,340 sq mi)
Water: 1,800 square kilometers (690 sq mi)
Area - Comparative: See order of magnitude 1 E+11 m².
[edit] Land boundaries:
Total: 1,707 kilometers (1,061 mi)
Border Countries:
- Brazil - 597 kilometers (371 mi)
- French Guiana - 510 kilometers (317 mi)
- Guyana - 600 kilometers (373 mi)
Coastline: 386 kilometers (240 mi)
[edit] Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (370 km)
territorial sea: 12 nm (22 km)
[edit] Climate and Terrain
[edit] Climate
Suriname has a tropical environment, and is moderated by strong winds.
[edit] Terrain
Most of the country is made up of rolling hills, but there is a narrow coastal plain that has swampy terrain.
[edit] Elevation extremes
Lowest point: Unnamed location in the coastal plain - 2 meters (7 ft) below Sea Level.
Highest point: Juliana Top - 1,280 meters (4,200 ft)
[edit] Natural resources
Timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite and gold. Small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum and iron ore.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Land use
(Using 1993 Estimates)
Arable land: .36%
Permanent crops: >06%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Other: 99.58%
[edit] Irrigated land
(Using 1993 Estimates)
600 square kilometers (200 sq mi)
[edit] Natural hazards
N/A
[edit] Environment
[edit] 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.
[edit] International Agreements
Suriname has agreed to the following agreements: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
[edit] See also
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