Language
- Dutch is the official language of Suriname.
- Sranan Tongo serves as the lingua franca, initially the native speech of the Creoles. This is an English-based creole language (due to over twenty years of British presence) with a large influence from Dutch and several other languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, West African languages and several indigenous languages.
- Sarnami Hindustani is the third largest language of the nation. Sarnami Hindustani is a form of Bihari, which is a dialect of modern India's Hindi language. It is spoken by the descendants of British Asian contract workers.
- Javanese is spoken by the descendants of Javanese contract workers.
- Maroon languages are somewhat intelligible with Sranan Tongo. Some are based on Portuguese rather than English. Maroon languages include Saramaka, Paramakan, Ndyuka or Aukan, Kwinti and Matawai.
- Amerindian languages are spoken by the Amerindians of Suriname. These languages include Carib and Arawak.
- Hakka Chinese is spoken by the descendants of Chinese contract workers.
- Additionally, English and Spanish are also widely used, especially at tourist-oriented facilities or shops.
