Draughts Week and Independence Day
There are only a few days left until Suriname’s Independence Day (celebrated on November 25). This year, the holiday will be led by the first woman in the country’s history to hold the office of president, Jennifer Gierlings-Simmons. Suriname is one of the most multilingual countries. In different parts of the country, which consists of 10 districts, 24 languages are spoken. The most interesting names of Surinamese languages are: the Wai Wai language and the almost extinct Acuirio language. And also…
And also… In Suriname, there are 206 registered draughts players per half a million inhabitants. This is a very high figure statistically: 0.03% of the country’s total population.
A little bit of the country’s official history:
Suriname’s economy is based on bauxite mining and the export of aluminum, gold, and oil (85% of exports and 25% of the state budget revenue). An offshore oil production program is being developed—in 2004, Suriname’s state oil company signed agreements with several Western oil companies. The Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, and the European Development Fund are providing assistance to Suriname for the development of bauxite and gold mining.
Industry (25% of GDP, 14% of the workforce) — bauxite, gold, and oil mining; aluminum production; forestry; food processing; fish and seafood processing. Agriculture (10% of GDP, 8% of the workforce) — rice, bananas, coconuts, peanuts; livestock, poultry. Before the arrival of Europeans, Suriname was inhabited by nomadic Arawak, Carib, and Warrau tribes.
The coastal part of Suriname was discovered by one of the first Spanish expeditions to South America — Alonso de Ojeda and Vicente Pinzón — in 1499. The coast was first mapped in 1500, after an expedition by another Spanish conquistador, Diego Lope. The country got its name from the river that flows through its territory.
The colonization of Suriname began only in the first half of the 17th century and was carried out by the English. However, in 1667, England transferred Suriname to the Netherlands in exchange for New Amsterdam (the territory of present-day New York). Since then, with the exception of 1799-1802 and 1804-1816, Suriname has been a Dutch possession for three centuries.
And of course, we will be following our friends’ game at the draughts tournament, which starts today!