The Republic of Suriname, the country known in colonial times as Dutch Guiana, is an independent nation on the north coast of South America, located between Guyana to the west and French Guiana to the east. Although it was colonized first by the British Suriname was conquered by the Netherlands in 1667 and remained a Dutch colony until it became independent in 1975. The country has two ports, Paramaribo and Nieuw Nickerie. Remarkably, the shores of Suriname shelter the remains of three historic lightships. Thanks to Iris Klempau and Michel Forand for researching these vessels. Dutch remains the official language in Suriname although an English-based creole is commonly used. The Dutch word for a lighthouse is vuurtoren; hoek is a cape, and rivier is a river. Aids to navigation are maintained by the maritime authority, Maritieme Autoriteit Suriname. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 110.
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![]() Former U.S. Lightships 106 and 109, Suriname Rivier, July 2009 ex-Panoramio Creative Commons photo by TH22 |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Guyane (French Guiana) | West: Guyana
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Posted November 30, 2006. Checked and revised June 12, 2024. Lighthouses: 3; lightships: 3. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.