9781422286470

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Suriname

Most of Suriname’s cities have been built along flat, muddy coastal areas. City planners decided on these locations because much of the rest of the country is so thickly forested that it could be reached only by airplane or riverboat. Approximately 80 percent of Suriname is covered by tropical rain forest. (In fact, the country contains more rain forest than all the nations of Central America put together.) Three Regions Suriname can be divided into three major regions. Each one runs from east to west, somewhat parallel to the coastline of the nation. They are the coastal plain; the central region, which consists of grassland and tropical rain forest; and the southern region, characterized by heavily forested mountains, hills, and savannas . The coastal region is about 226 miles (364 kilometers) long, with a depth from about 62 miles (100 km) in the west to 19 miles (30 km) in the east. Much of this area is covered with mudflats. Along the coastline, there are also bauxite— an ore used to manufacture aluminum. estuary— a water passage where the tide meets a river current. savannas— tropical or subtropical grasslands covered with drought-resistant under- brush and a few trees here and there. sibibusi— a torrential rain that occurs in Suriname. Words to Understand in this Chapter