Page last updated on February 08, 2019

Location:
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:
4 00 N, 56 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 163,820 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 156,000 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 7,820 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 93

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,907 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (3): Brazil 515 km, French Guiana 556 km, Guyana 836 km

Coastline:
386 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]

Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain:
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation:
mean elevation: 246 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: -2 m lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain
1230 highest point: Juliana Top

Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Land use:
agricultural land: 0.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 0.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 0.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 94.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 4.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
570 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
population concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

Natural hazards:
flooding

Environment - current issues:
deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
smallest 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 coast