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Globe trotting: Suriname 世界走透透：蘇利南

A man holds up a fish he caught in the Suriname River. 一名男子舉起他在蘇利南河抓到的魚。 (照片：法新社) PHOTO: AFP

Suriname may be the smallest country in South America, but it has a diversity of cultures and languages disproportionate to its size. The less than half-million people who live there represent immigrants from all over the world. Take a look below to see how they all got there, and how they have shaped the Suriname of today.

蘇利南或許是南美洲最小的國家，但它擁有多元的文化語言，可別小看這個國家。蘇利南全國將近五十萬的人口，代表著來自世界各地的移民。讓我們來一窺蘇利南人的移民史，看他們如何造就了今日的蘇利南。

A closer look 說古論今

Suriname was inhabited around 3000BC with tribes living along the coast and in the rain forests as well. Europeans arrived in the 16th century, and control of the country flip-flopped between the Dutch and British for the next couple centuries. At one point, the British gave the Dutch the area of Suriname in exchange for the state of New York, which had been controlled by the Dutch.

The Dutch brought slaves from Africa to build their colonies for them. However, when they abolished slavery in 1863, they had to start bringing workers from other parts of the world. Many of these workers were Chinese, Indians and Indonesians, and their descendants today make up a large part of Suriname's current population. Suriname still has close relations with the Netherlands, and Surinamers make up about 2 percent of the population of the Netherlands today.

Suriname's cultural diversity is matched only by its ecological diversity. More than 80 percent of the country is covered in tropical rainforests, which are home to all kinds of rare animals. Suriname has the largest protected area of rain forest in the world. The rain forests are also protected by the fact that 90 percent of Suriname's population live on the narrow northern coast instead of in the forests.

Instead of mixing into one big culture, the different ethnic groups of Suriname have kept themselves separate and maintained their own traditions. As a result, it's hard to describe just what the culture of Suriname is. (Taipei Times)

　 西元前三千年，蘇利南是由沿海及雨林的部落民族居住的。歐洲人於十六世紀抵達後，蘇利南的控管權就在荷蘭與英國手中更迭好幾個世紀。就某方面來說，英國之所以將蘇利南地區給了荷蘭，是為了交換荷蘭當時控制的紐約州。

荷蘭人從非洲帶黑奴來替他們建造殖民地。不過荷蘭在一八六三年廢奴後，就開始從世界其他地方引進勞工。許多勞工是中國人、印第安人與印尼人，他們的後裔也佔了蘇利南現今人口的一大部分。蘇利南現今仍與荷蘭關係密切，荷蘭有2% 的人口來自蘇利南。

蘇利南文化的多元性可媲美其生態多樣性。這個國家逾八成的國土是熱帶雨林，居住著各種珍稀動物。蘇利南擁有全世界最大的熱帶雨林保護區。蘇利南有九成人口居住在峽長的北海岸而非雨林，這也是熱帶雨林得以保全的原因。

蘇利南各種族並未融合成龐大的單一文化，而是各自保持分離，維護自己的傳統文化。所以，很難將蘇利南的文化歸類描述。

（翻譯：賴美君）

About Suriname 國家概況 Size: 163,270km2 , about five times the size of Taiwan Location: North coast of South America Border countries: Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil Capital: Paramaribo Population: 439,117 Languages: Dutch, English, Sranang Tongo, Hindi dialects, Javanese Government: Constitutional democracy Currency: One Suriname dollar is equal to NT$11.5 面積：十六萬三千兩百七十平方公里，約為台灣的五倍大 位置：南美洲北岸 鄰國：蓋亞那合作共和國，法屬蓋亞那，巴西 首都：巴拉馬利波 人口：四十三萬九千一百一十七人 語言：荷蘭語、英語、蘇利南語、北印度方言、爪哇語 政體：君主立憲 貨幣：一蘇利南幣約等於新台幣十一點五元

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