Suriname is located on the northern coast of South America. The first European contact with the region was Christopher Columbus who sighted the coast in 1498. In 1593 Spanish explorers visited the area and named it Suriname after the local people. 

In the first half of the 17th century, the Spanish, Dutch, British, and French all made failed attempts to establish settlements partly due to resistance from the local tribes. 

Eventually, Suriname came under Dutch control in 1667. During the period of Dutch colonial control, Suriname was a plantation economy that first relied on a high number of African slaves and then indentured slaves from Asia. 

This reliance on foreign labour has made Suriname, despite it being the smallest country in mainland South America in terms of size and population, one of the most ethnically diverse nations on the continent. This diversity is reflected in its public holidays with Suriname being the only country in South America to observe a holiday for the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr. Along with nearby Guyana, it also celebrates the Hindu festival of Deepavali. 

After the end of the Second World War, Suriname began to assert its political identity with the first elections taking pace in 1945 and universal suffrage being adopted in 1948. 

On November 25th 1975, Suriname gained its independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.