Suriname: What Can You See? Trivia Quiz

Answer: The architecture had barely changed since the town was established.

Originally an Indian village, Paramaribo has passed through numerous hands. When Europeans arrived, it became the site of both English and French settlements, but the current layout of the city dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries when it was a Dutch colonial town. By 2002, the inner city area retained its grid pattern, along with many of its original wooden buildings. This portion of the town gradually evolved to the point where it contained a mixture of styles. Colonial architecture and Creole influences stood side-by-side - a reflection of the mix of cultures within the country itself.

The drawing is of the Presidential Palace of Suriname, which is in Paramaribo.

Answer: Dutch

The Netherlands, which borders the North Sea, had colonies across the world. For a long time, Suriname was one of them. When the country gained independence in 1975, Dutch was retained as an official language. Despite its status, it is by no means the only language spoken. Since the 17th century, workers and slaves from Asia and Africa had been brought into the country, bringing their languages and dialects with them. Over time, a creole language known as Sranan Tongo has developed as a lingua franca.

Answer: Atlantic Ocean

The Suriname River travels north for 480km and meets the Atlantic Ocean near Paramaribo and Nieuw Amsterdam. The name 'Suriname' came from Spanish explorers who visited the area in 1593 and named the region after a local tribe called the Surinen.

Another north-flowing river is the Courantyne River (also spelled Corentyne and Coeroeni in Suriname). The Courantyne provides a 700km western border with the neighbouring country, Guyana.

Answer: Swamps

The scarlet ibis is endemic to South America and breeds on the mud flats and swamps along the coast of Suriname. There are over 100 species of bird that call the region their home, including the black-bellied whistling duck and the tricolored egret. Mangrove trees grow in the swamps throughout the coastal region.

The trees are a valuable wildlife habitat themselves, but also provide sediment control that protect habitats further inland. Unfortunately, human activity like over-fishing threatens the mangrove trees and their environment.

Answer: Central Suriname Nature Reserve

Three separate nature reserves were brought together to form the Central Suriname Nature Reserve. When it was awarded World Heritage status in 2000, the reserve covered roughly 11% of Suriname's surface area. It was protected land and was notable because it was largely untouched: it was uninhabited, unhunted, and largely inaccessible.

Answer: Juliana Top

At over 1,200 metres, Juliana Top is Suriname's highest mountain. It is part of the Wilhelmina Mountain range in the huge Sipaliwini District. The mountain is within the extensive Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a protected area that was created in 1998. Like the surrounding countries of Venezuela and Guyana, Suriname also has some magnificent table-top mountains known as tepuis.

The picture is based on a marble statue of Julius Caesar.

Answer: Tropical

Suriname's climate is tropical with dry and rainy seasons throughout the year. With over 1000 species of tree and around 4,000 species of fern, Suriname's flora relies on warm temperatures and plenty of rain. On average, the country receives between 1,900 mm and 2,400 mm of rain annually.

In comparison, between 1981 and 2010 the UK received an average of 1,154 mm of annual rainfall (according to the Met Office). The UK has a reputation for being rainy but it's nothing compared to a tropical rainforest!

Answer: Bauxite

The largest deposits of bauxite can be found in tropical climates like Suriname. As the rock usually consists of aluminium oxides, bauxite is the main source of aluminium across the world. Mines for other minerals, such as iron ore and diamonds, have also been created in the country. Some land in Suriname is used for farming crops like rice and sugar, too.

Answer: Sea turtles

Galibi Nature Reserve is one of the places where breeding sea turtles go to lay their eggs. They are particularly common on the eastern side of Suriname's coast near French Guiana. Leatherback turtles, for instance, will mate at sea and then bury their eggs in a hole in the sand. The females can lay up to 80 eggs beneath the sand before covering them up and returning to the water.

Answer: A huge, round rock balanced on top of a mountain

One of Suriname's most famous natural landmarks is the Voltzberg dome, an inselberg (an isolated hill that rises out of much lower terrain, like Uluru in Australia) of granite that offers astounding views from the top. The Devil's Egg (Duivelsei) is another peculiar rock formation. It's a large boulder that appears to be balanced at the peak of a granite tower.