Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, alternatively spelled Surinam, is a country in northern South America. It was first colonized by the British, and captured by the Dutch in 1667, who governed it as Dutch Guiana until 1954. The country of Suriname achieved independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 25 November 1975. Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles, and the Netherlands itself have cooperated on a basis of equality since 1954. The music of Suriname is known for kaseko, a fusion of African, European and American styles, as well as a strong Indo-Caribbean tradition.