History of Suriname

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History of Suriname
Arawak Caribs Dutch colonization Society of Suriname Constituent country Independence 1980 coup d'état National Military Council December murders Surinamese Interior War 1990 coup d'état Return to democracy
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The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony utilizing slavery for sugar cultivation. With abolition in the late 19th century, planters sought labor from China, Madeira, India, and Indonesia, which was also colonized by the Dutch. Dutch is Suriname's official language. Owing to its diverse population, it has also developed a creole language, Sranan Tongo.^[1]