Neatly tucked away in the center of the Guyana Shield Region and on the northern edge of the Amazon Region lies Suriname - an independent nation since November 1975 and the only Dutch-speaking country on the South-American continent. With almost 90% of the original forest cover still intact and a population of barely 500,000 persons, Suriname has one of the highest forest covers of any nation in the world and the lowest population density. The vast forests stretching in all directions from the popular tourist vantage point of Voltzberg in the Central Suriname Nature Reserve lie undisturbed as over 70% of the population inhabits the coastal strip along the Atlantic Ocean.

Suriname is in many ways unique compared to the other countries on the South-American continent, but the fact that it is the only former Dutch colony, makes it a linguistic maverick on this Latin-speaking continent. Linguistic maverick in many senses, although the official language is still Dutch, the lingua franca is an English-based Creole locally known as Sranan. As a result of its plantation history, people from all over the globe were brought to Suriname either voluntarily as contract laborers, or involuntarily as slaves, followed in the more recent past by voluntary immigrants from Latin-America as well as Asia and Africa. The resulting population mix has culturally retained its language of origin, so that next to Dutch you can as easily hear Chinese, Javanese, Hindi - as well as the creolized Hindi version called Sarnami - Arabic, English, Portuguese and Spanish. Its uniqueness is even more exemplified by the Indigenous tribes and Maroons that still live in the hinterland and rural areas of Suriname - adding 10 more languages (both Indigenous and Maroon) to the linguistic mosaic.

The diversity in languages is also reflected in the diversity of the resulting population and its culture. No kitchen is as varied on the South American continent as the Surinamese kitchen. Not only will you find excellent Chinese restaurants in Suriname, you will also find Afro-Creole dishes, spicy Indian food and the rich Javanese kitchen, climaxing in a fusion kitchen that is unequalled in South America. Also in Suriname's religious life we find a rich diversity. The traditional religious beliefs of the Indigenous and Maroon peoples co-exist with Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism and Shintoism. This is not only the country with the largest Muslim population in South America, it is also the only country where the biggest Mosque stands side-by-side with the biggest Synagogue.

The natural diversity has been well accounted for in this small nation. For many years Suriname carried the flag of Nature Conservation on the South-American continent. It took its first steps to legally protect nature as early as 1948, followed by the establishment of actual nature reserves in 1961. In 1998 it regained its leading position with the establishment of the first mega-protected area in the center of the country. This opened the path for the establishment of the first wilderness area in the region - 1.6 million ha of uninhabited forest under the name Central Suriname Nature Reserve. The area is so exceptional in beauty and untouched tropical Amazonian rain forest that in 2000 it was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With over 10% of the total land area protected in nature reserves, the country legally maintains the "traditional" rights and interests of peoples living in tribal communities in or around protected areas in newly to be established nature reserves.

Maverick in many ways, another thing that sets Suriname apart is the absence of a comprehensive road infrastructure; a blessing in disguise. This leaves remote and faraway places safe from negative human influences. Tourism, and particularly responsible tourism that safeguards the integrity of the ecosystem and the culture of the local people is growing in Suriname. In addition to the locations where the tourist can enjoy nature and culture, Suriname offers holidays to such pristine and untouched areas: places that can only be reached by chartered airplane or by making long boat trips. What is more important, Suriname still has all options open to devise a strategy to develop its natural resources in a sustainable manner.

In addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the interior, Suriname's old inner city was also placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002. Paramaribo is described by the World Heritage committee as: "A former Dutch colonial town from the 17th and 18th centuries planted on the northern coast of tropical South America. The original and highly characteristic street plan of the historic center remains intact. Its buildings illustrate the gradual fusion of Dutch architectural influence with traditional local techniques and materials."

One of the Suriname's new tourism products is the rock-carving site at Werehpai in the southern part. Joint research by the Smithsonian Institution and the Suriname Museum has shown that this is the only site in the whole of the Amazon region where more than 300 carvings have been found in one location . These carvings date as far back as 5000 BC.