The Republic of Suriname lies along the northeastern Atlantic coast, bounded by French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil. Located slightly north of the Equator with an area of about 165,000 square kilometers, this smallest country in South America is known for its wide stretch of tropical rainforests, Dutch architecture, and diverse culture.
Currency In Suriname
The country had been a Dutch territory since the 17th century and was placed in a limited self-governance system in 1954. As a constituent of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Suriname’s official currency was the Suriname guilder (SRG) which is expressed as “gulden” on banknotes. Although Suriname broke away from the kingdom in 1975, the guilder remained to be legal tender until 2004. The currency was replaced with the Suriname dollar following the Netherlands’ move to the euro.
The first guilder banknotes were issued in 1957 by the Central Bank of Suriname, replacing those paper bills issued by the De Surinaamsche Bank. They are in denominations of 5, 10, 25. 100, and 1,000 guilders. Common design elements on these notes are an image of a woman and a torch. In addition to the 1957 banner on the obverse and the country’s emblem on the center of the reverse.
Modern Banknotes
Meanwhile, the first Surinamese dollar banknotes were introduced on January 1, 2004, with the currency expressed in the singular form, just like the Dutch custom. Featured on their front design is the Central Bank of Suriname headquarters building located at the Waterkant in Paramaribo. Each banknote also reflects a flower and the bank logo. Their reverse side shows a tree and a natural environment. The latest version of the Surinamese dollar banknotes was released starting from 2010. These look like the previous issues but with new dates and enhanced security features such as a holographic stripe on the right part of the obverse. They also have added bank initials to the watermark, color-shifting windowed security thread. They also bear protective varnish that improves the note’s durability.