Suriname: South America's Youngest Nation

Suriname is a rain forest country difficult to define. A rich mix of people and languages as well as the isolation of the coastal dwellers from the forest people contribute to its mystique.

Ninety percent of its 430,000 people live along the narrow strip of fertile land that stretches along the Atlantic coast. Here people of African and European ancestry live alongside people of Chinese, Indian and Indonesian descent. Tolerance and marriages between groups is common.

A lack of roads or rail and a deep sense of conservation help to keep the country's rivers and rain forests pristine. Rain forest covers 80% of the country and is home to 700 bird species and 4,500 plant varieties.

Join photographer Peter Essick as he explores this enigmatic country with its spectrum of natives and settlers as they build a common future.

Explore visually by choosing thumbnail images (above) or linearly from start to finish by Topic (left).

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