Suriname, or Surinam, Dutch Guiana, Dutch Guyana or Sranang is a country in South America. The official name of the country is Republiek Suriname (this is Dutch and translates to "Republic of Suriname"). It used to be known as "Nederlands Guyana", "Netherlands Guiana" or "Dutch Guiana". It is between Guyana and French Guiana. Paramaribo is the capital city, in which resides almost half of the country's population. About half a million people live in the country. Suriname became independent from the Netherlands in 1975. Before that, it was a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.