Suriname, formerly the colony of Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana, is a country in Northern South America. It has a North Atlantic Ocean coastline in the north and is surrounded by French Guiana to the east, Brazil to the south and Guyana to the west. It is the smallest independent country on the South American continent. The relatively small population lives mostly along the coast.
Tourist facilities are available in the capital city of Paramaribo, but are less developed and in some cases non-existent in the country's rugged jungle interior. Dutch is the national language, but most Surinamese in Paramaribo speak English; accordingly most tourist arrangements can be made in English. Tourist arrangements for the interior should be made ahead of time.
