Suriname
Dinosaurs stamps of Suriname
Contents:
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname
(Dutch: Republiek Suriname), is a country on the north-eastern Atlantic coast of South America.
It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east,
Guyana to the west, and
Brazil to the south.
At just under 165,000 square kilometers, it is the smallest sovereign state in South America.
It has a population of approximately 612,985 dominated by descendants from the slaves and
labourers brought in from Africa and Asia by the Dutch Empire and Republic.
Most of the people live by the country's (north) coast, in and around its capital and largest city, Paramaribo.
It is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth.
Situated slightly north of the equator, Suriname is a tropical country dominated by rainforests.
A developing country with a relatively high level of human development, Suriname's economy is heavily
dependent on its abundant natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum and agricultural products.
Suriname was inhabited as early as the fourth millennium BC by various indigenous peoples.
First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century,
Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667.
With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from
India and Java.
The Netherlands granted the colony independence in 1975.
Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared Suriname a
socialist republic.
[R1]
Suriname, a former Dutch colony on the north-east coast of South America, has issued stamps since 1873.
The earlier issues of Suriname showed the Dutch Monarch until the state gained autonomy in December 1954.
After gaining independence, Suriname tended to issue between 10 and 20 stamps per year.
The number of stamps released has gone considerably starting with 40-60 stamps per year during the 1980s
and currently over a 100 stamps issued per year.
[R2]
Official stamps of Suriname related to Paleontology: dinosaurs
Notes:
[1] In 2022, Suriname issued more than 120 stamps, including the dinosaur stamps.
These stamps were issued as mini-sheets consisting of 2 rows of 5 stamps.
One interesting quirk of these stamps is the second row is flipped.
The total face value of the stamps set is 316.50SRD equivalent to €11 about.
It seems too expensive for such a poor country as Suriname, with per capita of approximately $8,323.
Moreover, none of these dinosaurs depicted on these stamps have been found in Suriname
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References:
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to
Dr.
Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University,
for reviewing the draft page and his very valuable comments.