Country Profile

At A Glance

Geography:
Area:       83,000 sq. miles/214,969 sq. km
Location: Northern Coast of South America
Borders with: Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname
Capital: Georgetown

Demographics :
Population: 752,940 (2010 est.)
Official Language: English
Creole is widely spoken
Amerindian languages also spoken

Ethnic Groups :
East Indian       43 %
African             31 %
Amerindian       9 %
Mixed               17 %
Religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Rastafarian

Climate:
Tropical, hot, humid, moderated by northeast tradewinds
Equatorial Rainforest. Mean temperature of 27.5C
2 rainy seasons: May-July, Nov-Jan

Currency :
Guyana Dollar (G$)
US$1.00 – G$204 (2012)

Time Zone : GMT minus 4
U.S. Eastern Standard Tine +1

International Direct Dialing :
Access Code – 592

History

Guyana is the only English speaking country among the twelve countries of South America. “Guyana” is a Native American Indian (Amerindian) word which means “Land of Many Waters” due to its numerous rivers, creeks and waterfalls. The first Europeans to settle in the country were the Dutch who traded with Native Indians and began cultivating cotton and sugar cane in the 17 ^th century.

For more than 100 years Guyana was colonized by Holland, France and England as these three countries competed for ownership over Guyana and other territories in the region. Eventually Britain gained overall control in 1814 and named the country British Guiana. It remained a colony of Britain until becoming independent in 1966. The country’s name was changed to Guyana after Independence.  In 1970, Guyana became a Republic.

The Europeans enslaved Africans and brought them to work in Guyana to produce sugar can e and cotton because the Native Indians resisted against compulsory labor. The slaves were freed by 1838. Laborers were then brought from India, China and Portugal to do the work. The descendants of these laborers make up the present day inhabitants of Guyana. The population of the country now is about 750,000 people.

Geography

Guyana is located in the tropics so that the climate is like summer all year round. It has an area of 83,000 square miles or about the size of the state of Utah. On a world map, it is located on the northeast coast of South America. North of Guyana is the Atlantic Ocean and south is Brazil. Venezuela is on the western boundary and Suriname is to the east. Over 70% of Guyana is made up of forests and savannahs. The country is situated on the northern edge of the Amazon rainforest which is referred to as the lungs of the world.

The majority of the inhabitants live along the Atlantic Coast where Georgetown, the capital city, is located. This region is several feet below sea level as is New Orleans in Louisiana. Similar to the New Orleans levees, a wall nearly 200 miles long serves to protect this area from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A special drainage system helps to avoid flooding in the rainy season. Because Georgetown and much of Guyana’s coastland lies below sea level, this area faces constant danger of flooding from the Atlantic Ocean. The long sea wall and a system of streets divided by drainage canals, a legacy of Dutch Colonization of Guyana, helps give Georgetown its unique character. The breezy sea wall area is a favorite place to relax, socialize and exercise.

Georgetown also houses the seat of government, the chief port and the main commercial centers. The city contains many historical monuments including gracious wooden colonial buildings. Among them is St. George’s Cathedral, which was once the tallest wooden building in the world. Georgetown is called the “Garden City of the Caribbean” due to its many plants, trees and gardens.

The largest river, the Essequibo, is almost 600 miles long. It is the third largest river in South America after the Amazon and Orinoco. Guyana has 275 waterfalls. The most spectacular one is Kaieteur Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in the world. It has a single drop of 741 feet and a total height of 822 feet or about 5 times as high as the Niagara Falls and 140 feet wide. Kaieteur Falls is Guyana’s main tourist attraction.

Economy

Agriculture and mining are Guyana’s main economic activities. Rice, sugar, gold and bauxite make up 75% of the country’s exports. Bauxite is used to produce a light metal called aluminum which is used to make airplanes among other things. Guyana is famous for producing fine rums, gold jewelry and hardwoods. Other products include diamonds, fruits, vegetables and seafood. Tourism is increasing in popularity as people learn more about Guyana’s natural beauty including its waterfalls, its beautiful scenery and its animals in their natural rainforest habitat. Exotic birds, mammals and reptiles are plentiful in Guyana.

Guyana and the United States

Guyana and the United States maintain a very friendly relationship with each other. The two countries cooperate closely to ensure that their citizens and people in other parts of the world enjoy peace, prosperity and freedom. The two countries work together to improve opportunities for business, so that the products of either country could be imported and sold in the other country easily. Guyana strives to make the United States more secure by helping to prevent terrorist activities and the shipment of illegal drugs to America. The US helps Guyana produce more fruits, vegetables and seafood. The US also gives assistance to the people of Guyana to treat certain diseases as well as to improve the court system.

Hundreds of thousands of Guyanese live in the United States, mostly in the states of New York, Florida and Georgia.

Politics

Unlike the United States, Guyana is a parliamentary democracy with a President, a Cabinet and a House of Representatives called a Parliament. Guyana has no Senate. Subsequent to General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali succeeded Brigadier (ret’d) David Arthur Granger as the President of Guyana. There is also a Prime Minister in the person of Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips.  The President and the Members of Parliament are elected every five years. Guyana is divided into ten administrative regions, which elect their representatives to Parliament.

Festivals

Due to the different origins of Guyana’s peoples, the country has a mixture of religions and a diverse culture. More than half of the population is Christian, a little more than one third are Hindus and less than a quarter are Muslims. The customs and festivals surrounding these various religions are often observed across religious boundaries.

The country’s most important national festival is Mashramani, a colorful carnival of costume parades blending music, art and pageantry which commemorates the attainment of Republican status by Guyana on February 23, 1970. The festival is therefore celebrated on February 23 ^rd each year. The date also coincides with a famous uprising by slaves in the year 1763.

Christmas is celebrated much the same as in the United States with toys, presents and traditional Guyanese foods, except that at Christmastime it is like summer. It is not common to celebrate Halloween in Guyana.

In August, Guyana celebrates the festival of Emancipation. African traditions are remembered and celebrated, colorful African costumes are worn and activities are held focusing on the people’s African heritage.

Amerindian heritage celebrations take place annually, offering the opportunity to better appreciate the arts, craft, legends and achievements of Guyana’s native peoples.

At Easter time it is traditional for families to picnic and fly kites. Raising kites in the sky to signify and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. At Easter the skies over the sea wall are dotted with kites of all shapes, sizes and colors and the sound of kites buzzing is heard everywhere. Kite flying competitions are popular at this time.

Phagwah is a merry Hindu festival at which friends and passersby are doused with brightly colored liquids and powders. Traditional sweets and desert are shared on this national holiday and cultural presentations feature singing and dancing. Diwali is known as the Hindu Festival of Lights. Buildings are lit up with scores of tiny earthen lamps called diyas, and motor vehicles are decorated with colorful lights. This festival symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. The Islamic holidays of Youman Nabi, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, a traditional feast on the last day of the Muslim fast of Ramadan, are also widely observed.

Sports

The most popular sports are cricket (a sport with some similarities to baseball) and soccer. Other sporting activities include basketball, hockey, boxing, squash and motor racing. Regional sporting activities include boat racing in riverain areas and rodeos in the savannah regions. Baseball and American football are not commonly played in Guyana.

Foods

Foods eaten in Guyana reflect the rich diversity of its people. A variety of popular dishes originate from India, Africa, China and Europe. The national dish is a spicy Native Amerindian stew called “pepperpot”, which is made of mixed meats. Another traditional dish is “cook-up” – a dish of rice, meat, peas and vegetables boiled in coconut milk. This meal is believed to bring good luck if it is eaten on New Year’s Eve. Rice is the staple food in the Guyanese diet and it is often eaten with fish, meat or vegetables which are cooked in curries or stews. Barbecued chicken and other meats are also very popular. Fish and meats are also enjoyed fried or baked. Roti, an Indian flat bread; as well as root vegetables such as cassava (yuca) are also common in the Guyanese diet, as are noodle and rice dishes from China. Rice, fish, shrimp, poultry, vegetables and peas are the most common food items.

Guyana on the Web

Further information is available about Guyana on the internet. The website www.dpi.gov.gy is a Government of Guyana website containing current information as well as links to other websites about Guyana’s history, geography, culture, language, literature, tourist attractions and other information about the country. Information on doing business in Guyana is available at www.goinvest.org .

The National Flag

The National Flag of Guyana, “The Golden Arrowhead”, has five colors – green, white, gold, black and red. The GREEN background symbolizes the agricultural and forested nature of Guyana. The WHITE border symbolizes its waters and rivers potential. The GOLDEN arrow symbolizes Guyana’s mineral wealth and its forward thrust. The BLACK border, the endurance that will sustain the golden arrow’s forward thrust into the future. The RED triangle symbolizes the zeal and the dynamic task of nation building which lies before our young and independent country.

Coat of Arms

The national Coat-of-Arms of Guyana is a composite of motifs suggested in separate designs by three Guyanese artists.

The design is interpreted as follows:

The Amerindian head-dress symbolizes the Amerindians as the indigenous people of the country. The two diamonds at the side of the head-dress represent the country’s mining industry. The helmet is the monarchial insignia. The two jaguars holding a pick axe, a sugar cane and a stalk of rice symbolize labor and the two main agricultural industries of the country – sugar and rice. The shield which is decorated with the National Flower, the Victoria Regia Lily, is to protect the nation. The three blue wavy lines represent the many waters of Guyana. The Canje Pheasant, the National Bird, at the bottom of the shield represents a rare bird found principally in this part of the world and also the rich fauna of Guyana.

Guyana’s National Bird

The Hoatzin or Canje Pheasant

The adult Hoatzin is about 22 inches long from beak to tail. Its color is redish-brown streaked with green. The under parts are pale brown. The feathers on its shoulder and sides are edged with creamy-white. There is a crest of very long feathers on its head which gives the bird an almost majestic look. The Hoatzin has a very short and very thick beak, and the skin around the crimson eye is of a pale blue color.

This bird can be found throughout the year in areas along the banks of the Berbice River and its tributary, the Canje Creek, and to some extent, on the Abary, Mahaicony and Mahaica Rivers. It feeds on the leaves of aquatic vegetation. The nesting period for the Hoatzin, commonly known as the Canje Pheasant, is usually from April to September.