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Suriname vs. Guyana

Geography

SurinameGuyana
LocationNorthern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and GuyanaNorthern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic coordinates4 00 N, 56 00 W5 00 N, 59 00 W
Map referencesSouth AmericaSouth America
Areatotal: 163,820 sq km

land: 156,000 sq km

water: 7,820 sq km
total: 214,969 sq km

land: 196,849 sq km

water: 18,120 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly larger than Georgiaslightly smaller than Idaho; almost twice the size of Tennessee
Land boundariestotal: 1,907 km

border countries (3): Brazil 515 km, French Guiana 556 km, Guyana 836 km
total: 2,933 km

border countries (3): Brazil 1308 km, Suriname 836 km, Venezuela 789 km
Coastline386 km459 km
Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Climatetropical; moderated by trade windstropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)
Terrainmostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swampsmostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Elevation extremeshighest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m

lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m

mean elevation: 246 m
highest point: Laberintos del Norte on Mount Roraima 2,775 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 207 m
Natural resourcestimber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron orebauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Land useagricultural land: 0.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 94.6% (2018 est.)

other: 4.9% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: 8.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.1% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 77.4% (2018 est.)

other: 14.2% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land570 sq km (2012)1,430 sq km (2012)
Natural hazardsfloodingflash flood threat during rainy seasons
Environment - current issuesdeforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activitieswater pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
Environment - international agreementsparty to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - notesmallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coastthe third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively; contains some of the largest unspoiled rainforests on the continent
Total renewable water resources99 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)271 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionpopulation concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populatedpopulation is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with noteable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

Source: CIA Factbook