Walk the streets of Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital, and you’ll come across the largest wooden Catholic cathedral in the world, the largest mosque in the Caribbean, a synagogue with a Jewish congregation that dates to the 1700s, a market where women sell traditional charms and potions used in the Winti religion and Hindu temples. Nestled between Guyana and the French overseas department of Guiana, Suriname is the smallest country in South America. But according to a study from the Pew Research Center: Suriname is the fourth most religiously diverse country in the world.

Leading the way (in descending order) are Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. Suriname’s multiplicity is a product of colonialism and the arrival of ethnic groups from around the world. The first inhabitants hereabouts were indigenous groups that practiced a polytheistic religion. In the 1500s, Dutch, English and Spanish explorers visited the area, with the Dutch eventually establishing the colony of Dutch Guyana.

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