(click for larger image in new window) A country of northeast South America on the Atlantic Ocean. First colonized by the British, the region was ceded to the Dutch in 1667 and became an autonomous territory of the Netherlands in 1954. Full independence was achieved in 1975. Paramaribo is the capital and the largest city. Population: 471,000. Su'ri·na·mese' (-nä-mēz', -mēs') adj. & n.