The land of many waters

The land

The Co-operative Republic of Guyana lies in the north-east of South America, north of the equator. It is bordered by Suriname to the east, Brazil to the south and Venezuela to the west, and to the north and east it meets the North Atlantic Ocean.

The coastal plain, where most people live, is flat — but the country is famous for its mountain ranges, lush forests, vast savannahs and, above all, the majestic Kaieteur Falls, with an overall drop of 251 metres and a sheer drop of 226 metres.

Guyana is richly endowed with natural resources: fertile agricultural land, vast stretches of tropical hardwood forest (most of it still untouched), a rich fishing and shrimping continental shelf, minerals including gold, diamonds, semi-precious stones, bauxite and manganese, great potential for hydropower — and, since 2019, offshore oil.

Climate

Guyana has a warm tropical climate. The rainy seasons are November to January and April to July, with average rainfall of about 2,350 mm a year on the coast; inland rainfall averages about 1,520 mm a year. North-east trade winds moderate temperatures on the coast.

Rainforest

Guyana's tropical rainforest covers about 86% of the land and is among the most ecologically valuable and best preserved in the world. The environment is of great importance to Guyana, and the country is committed to responsible, sustainable management of its forests. Guyana is a member of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty and took a leading role at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in endorsing sustainable development.

Iwokrama. In 1989 Guyana set aside 360,000 hectares of rainforest for the Iwokrama Rainforest Programme, under the auspices of the Commonwealth, to show how tropical forest can be managed sustainably and its biological diversity conserved and used for the benefit of the international community. It combines a wilderness preserve for research, sustainable use of the forest's resources — including eco-tourism — and an international centre for research and training.

Wildlife

More than 6,100 species of plant, 1,000 species of tree, 450 species of bird, 400 species of fish, 120 species of amphibian and 180 species of mammal have been recorded in Guyana so far.

The tapir is the largest land mammal; the cats include the jaguar and the ocelot. Monkeys and deer are the most plentiful, the black caiman is the largest freshwater animal, and the giant anaconda lives in the rivers. Guyana is also home to the great harpy eagle — and many plants, animals and micro-organisms here are still unknown to science.

Getting around

Cheddi Jagan International Airport is at Timehri, about 40 km (25 miles) south of Georgetown. Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle, close to the city, serves regional and domestic flights. Large towns and many mining companies have airstrips.

Good roads run along the coast and serve many points inland. There are some 1,600 km of navigable river: passenger and cargo boats travel the Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice rivers and along the coast. Georgetown and New Amsterdam are the main ports. Guyana's country telephone code is +592.

Regions

Guyana has three historic counties — Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice — and ten administrative regions:

1. Barima-Waini
2. Pomeroon-Supenaam
3. Essequibo Islands-West Demerara
4. Demerara-Mahaica
5. Mahaica-Berbice
6. East Berbice-Corentyne
7. Cuyuni-Mazaruni
8. Potaro-Siparuni
9. Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
10. Upper Demerara-Berbice

History

The original Guiana was home to Indigenous peoples, notably the Arawaks and Caribs, who lived by hunting and fishing. Europeans divided the wider region into Spanish Guiana (Venezuela), Portuguese Guiana (Brazil), French Guiana, Dutch Guiana (Suriname) and British Guiana (Guyana).

Colonial competition began with the Spanish sighting in 1499. Early settlements were followed by the Dutch, first at Pomeroon and then, in 1627, on the Berbice River under the Dutch West India Company. Despite British, French and Portuguese invasions, the Dutch kept control until 1814, when the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice were ceded to Britain.

The Europeans brought enslaved Africans to develop their plantations — first tobacco, later sugar — and to build the coastal drainage system and the elegant city of Georgetown. Britain merged the three colonies into British Guiana in 1831. After the abolition of slavery, indentured labourers from India, and smaller numbers from Portugal (Madeira), China and elsewhere, were brought to work the estates — the roots of the many peoples who make up Guyana today.

Elected government grew through the 20th century. Guyana gained independence and joined the Commonwealth on 26 May 1966, and became a republic in 1970. Georgetown is the headquarters of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community.

Government

Guyana is a republic with an executive President and a single-chamber National Assembly of 65 members elected by proportional representation. The President, leader of the largest party, appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.