Although first sighted by Columbus in 1498, the first successful settlement was not established until 1651. In 1667, the Netherlands acquired Suriname from Great Britain in exchange for Dutch rights in what is now Manhattan, New York. During the 18th and 19th centuries, amid slave uprisings and political turmoil, sovereignty of the country was shuffled among France, England, and the Netherlands. The Netherlands regained control in 1815. Suriname gained independence in 1975. | Although first sighted by Columbus in 1498, the first successful settlement was not established until 1651. In 1667, the Netherlands acquired Suriname from Great Britain in exchange for Dutch rights in what is now Manhattan, New York. During the 18th and 19th centuries, amid slave uprisings and political turmoil, sovereignty of the country was shuffled among France, England, and the Netherlands. The Netherlands regained control in 1815. Suriname gained independence in 1975. |