Suriname is one of the most interesting countries in South America. And one of the least populated in the world… Why does almost no one live in Suriname? Suriname and Guyana are the only South American countries that are not Latin American. They were colonies of Great Britain and the Netherlands. And they are very different from all the other countries around them. Suriname borders Brazil and the two Guianas. This is the historical region of the Guianas that is known for its diverse colonization: British, Spanish, French, Portuguese, among others. Another characteristic of Suriname is that it is the smallest country in South America. With its 163 thousand km², and just over 600 thousand inhabitants. An interesting fact is that Suriname, being the smallest country in South America, is still larger than all the countries in Central America. Another interesting fact is that some places in the world do not recognize Central America and claim that there is only North America and South America. These different views on the Americas generate endless debates. Take Australia, for example. If we ask a geography teacher in the United States which continent Australia is on, he will readily say that Australia is at the same time a continent, a country and an island. A Brazilian geography teacher, on the other hand, will say that he is absolutely certain that Australia is one of the countries in Oceania. And in a way, both are correct; each place has its own way of interpreting it. The truth is that if a student put on a test that Panama is in North America, he would get a zero in Brazil and a 10 in the United States. Returning to Suriname. The population density of the country is very low, around 3.8 people per square kilometer. This is the capital of Suriname, Paramaribo. Where the style of construction still has Dutch roots. Around 20 thousand Brazilians live in this country, and 60% of the population of Suriname lives in the capital. The other 40% are spread out across various regions of the country, the vast majority in rural areas. This territory is called Sipaliwini, a huge territory that occupies 80% of the map of Suriname and which we can also call the empty region. Empty because less than 40,000 people live in this immense place, compared to 36,997 people at the last count. And Sipaliwini is an almost untouchable land, full of immense forests and wildlife. This also gives Suriname another title. It is the smallest country with the largest forest area in the world. If Brazil followed the same logic, only Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul would be inhabited and everything else would be forest. Or only the Amazon would be populated and the rest of Brazil would be forest. This is the current reality in Suriname. The most populated cities in this nation are on the country's northern coast. But although the interior of Suriname is not as populated and does not have land suitable for agriculture, it is well explored by mining. After all, Suriname has a lot of gold! Around 70% of all the country's exports are gold. In addition to gold, other important minerals make up the export portfolio, such as Bauxite, which can be used to manufacture aluminum. But why does almost no one live in Suriname? To answer this question, we need to go back in time a little. So, let's quickly see how the country's reality took this path to become what it is today. This is the Netherlands. A nation that constitutes the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And it was a colonizing power that held Suriname until 1975. Until the country finally achieved its independence. Although the official name is the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we will use it as Holland for simplicity. --- For advertising and partnerships, contact us by email: [email protected] --- Software Used in the Production of this Video: - Adobe Photoshop ® - Adobe After Effects ® - Adobe Premiere ® - CapCut ® --- Copyright and Use of Content: This is an original production of the EconoSimples channel. All rights reserved. Usage Rules: - Educational Distribution: Allowed for use in seminars, classrooms or any type of in-person educational purpose, as long as due credit is given to the EconoSimples channel. - Prohibitions: Reposting, voice alteration, publication of videos on other channels or other social networks is prohibited. For remixes, reactions or any type of secondary use, it is mandatory to leave the credits and the link of the original video highlighted. --- Technical Sheet: - Art Direction: Jhoel de Paula - Script: Fernando Alves - Editing: F. Mateus - Sound Design: Alex Silva --- Follow us on Social Media: - YouTube: / @econosimples - Instagram: www.instagram.com/econo.simples - TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@econosimples - Official Website: www.econosimples.com --- EconoSimples branded content. Copyright © 2024 Cap. All rights reserved. #economy #geography #history ---