Suriname  (in Dutch : Suriname), officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America . It is bordered to the east by French Guiana and to the west by Guyana . From the south, Brazil is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean . Suriname is the smallest sovereign country by area and population in South America. It is the only Dutch-speaking country in the Western Hemisphere but is not part of the Dutch Kingdom. It is a country of great religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity. Suriname covers 165,000 square kilometers, four times the size of the Netherlands . It has a population of 470,000 people, a quarter of whom live on less than $ 2 a daySuriname's name could be derived from Taino ( Arawak dialect) The name Suriname was derived from the Surin tribes that inhabited the country before being expelled by American Indians in the 16th century. They were the first to inhabit the area before the Europeans arrived. Originally, the country was named Suriname by English settlers who founded the first colony in Marshall Bay, [18] along the Suriname River , formerly known as Lowland Guyana, Netherlands Guyana or Dutch Guyana. Suriname can still be found in English. A notable example is Suriname National Airlines, Suriname Airlines . "Suriname", / ˈsʊrəˌnæm / or / ˈsʊrəˌnɑm /. The old English name is reflected from the English pronunciation of "Suriname." " , / ˈSʊrəˌnæm / or / ˈsʊrəˌnɑm / , in Dutch , the official language of Suriname, the pronunciation is / ˌsyriˈnamə / , with emphasis on the third syllable.