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57-528: Kutari River , also called Cutari Rivier , Kutari Creek or Cutari Creek , is a small river on the southeastern border of Guyana and the southwestern region of Suriname . The location of the river is part of the disputed Tigri Area in the extreme South East region of Suriname. The river has its source in the Acarai Mountains that border Brazil . Together with the Sipaliwini River

114-640: A National Protected Area System. More than 80% of Guyana is still covered by forests, which also contain the world's rarest orchids , ranging from dry evergreen and seasonal forests to montane and lowland evergreen rain forests. These forests are home to more than a thousand species of trees. Guyana's tropical climate, unique geology, and relatively undisturbed ecosystems support extensive areas of species-rich rain forests and natural habitats with high levels of endemism . There are about 8000 species of plants in Guyana, half of which are found nowhere else. The country

171-434: A key component for receiving international aid through REDD programmes. The earliest residents of Guyana employed a variety of agricultural practices for subsistence living but also had extensive networks of trade, dealing in items such as blow pipes, curare , cassava graters, and other essentials. These trade networks were important even at the time of the earliest European contact, and Dutch traders were inclined to gift

228-476: A large impact on Guyana's GDP since drilling began in 2019. GDP grew sharply (43%) through the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020, and is anticipated to continue at a high level in 2021 (estimated at 20%). The non-oil sectors contracted as public health measures were in place to control the virus spread; the growth of GDP rests on the oil sector for these two years. Preservation of Guyana's pristine forests has been

285-551: A more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organisations. Guyana held huge amounts of debt which have been written off through various international agencies. In 2003 Guyana qualified for US$ 329 million of debt relief, in addition to the US$ 256 million from the original World Bank plan for assisting heavily indebted poor countries in 1999. The Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative in 2006/7 wrote off about US$ 611 million of Guyana's debt by

342-614: A river in Guyana is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Guyana in South America  (grey) Guyana officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana , is a country on the northern coast of South America , part of the historic mainland British West Indies . Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the country's largest city. Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to

399-430: A short period. They can also be used within a very small group, until picked up by a larger community. Ethnic groups are also known to alter or include words from their own backgrounds. A socially stratified creole speech continuum also exists between Guyanese English and Standard / British English. Speech by members of the upper classes is phonetically closest to British and American English, whereas speech by members of

456-596: Is tropical and generally hot and humid, though moderated by northeast trade winds along the coast. There are two rainy seasons, the first from May to mid-August, the second from mid-November to mid-January. Guyana has one of the largest unspoiled rainforests in South America, some parts of which are almost inaccessible by humans. The rich natural history of Guyana was described by early explorers Sir Walter Raleigh and Charles Waterton and later by naturalists Sir David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell . In 2008,

513-482: Is home to six ecoregions: Guayanan Highlands moist forests , Guianan moist forests , Orinoco Delta swamp forests , Tepuis , Guianan savanna , and Guianan mangroves . The Guiana Shield region is little known and extremely rich biologically. Unlike other areas of South America, over 70% of the natural habitat remains pristine. Guyana ranks third in the world with a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 9.58/10. The rich natural history of British Guiana

570-582: Is said to have 11 billion barrels in oil reserves, the country is set to become one of the largest per capita oil producers in the world by 2025. The discovery of over 11 billion barrels of oil reserves off the coast of Guyana since 2017 is the largest addition to global oil reserves since the 1970s. Guyana is now ranked as having the fourth-highest GDP per capita in the Americas after the United States , Canada , and The Bahamas , and has been one of

627-569: Is the official language. However, the majority of the population speak Guyanese Creole , an English-based creole language , as a first language. Guyana is part of the Commonwealth Caribbean . It is part of the mainland Caribbean region maintaining strong cultural, historical, and political ties with other Caribbean countries as well as serving as the headquarters for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In 2008,

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684-567: The Akawaio , Arawak ( Lokono ), Arekuna ( Pemon ), Carib ( Karinya ), Makushi , Patamona , Wai Wai , Wapichan , and Warao . They are the third-largest demographic group in the country and are the majority population in the southern interior. The Afro-Guyanese population mainly descend from West African ethnicities such as the Ashanti from Ghana , the Yoruba from Southwest Nigeria ,

741-571: The BBC broadcast a three-part programme called Lost Land of the Jaguar which highlighted the huge diversity of wildlife, including undiscovered species and rare species such as the giant otter and harpy eagle . Guyana has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. It is home to more than 225 species of mammals , 900 species of birds , 880 species of reptiles, and more than 6,500 different species of plants. Among these wildlife categories

798-574: The British assumed control in 1796, with the Dutch and British signing the London Convention in 1814 that ceded Demerara-Essequibo and Berbice to Britain. In 1831, the united colonies of Demerara-Essequibo and separate colony of Berbice together became a single British colony known as British Guiana . Since its independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of

855-684: The Courentyne River at 724 km (450 mi), the Berbice at 595 km (370 mi), and the Demerara at 346 km (215 mi). The Courentyne river forms the border with Suriname. At the mouth of the Essequibo are several large islands, including the 145 km (90 mi) wide Shell Beach along the northwest coast, which is also a major breeding area for sea turtles (mainly leatherbacks ) and other wildlife. The climate

912-748: The Essequibo River . Simón Bolívar wrote to the British government warning against the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land which the Venezuelans, as assumed heirs of Spanish claims on the area dating to the 16th century, claimed was theirs. In 1899, an international tribunal ruled that the land belonged to Great Britain. From the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 , the British inherited Dutch territory which included lands between

969-728: The Guayana Region in Venezuela ( Spanish Guyana ), and Amapá in Brazil ( Portuguese Guiana ). According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the name "Guyana" comes from an indigenous Amerindian language and means "land of many waters". The word Co‑operative in the official name refers to co-operative socialism . What is now Guyana has been inhabited for millennia. Nine indigenous tribes reside in Guyana:

1026-621: The Igbo from South-Eastern Nigeria , and the Mandingo from Senegal . Most Indo-Guyanese are descended from indentured labourers who migrated from North India , especially the Bhojpur and Awadh regions of the Hindi Belt in the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , and Jharkhand . A significant minority of Indo-Guyanese are also descended from indentured migrants who came from

1083-674: The International Monetary Fund , the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank . In 2006, Japan finalised its bilateral debt cancellation agreement, in 2007, US$ 15 million was written off by China and in 2008, Venezuela cancelled US$ 12.5 million. In 2008, the economy witnessed a 3% increase in growth amid the global economic crisis ; it grew 5.4% in 2011 and 3.7% in 2012. IMF projected economic growth to be 53% in 2020 following

1140-462: The Macushi people). When the country gained independence from British rule, a policy of nationalisation was enacted by Forbes Burnham to address the inequities that were established by plantation-based colonial rule. All large-scale industries such as foreign-owned bauxite mining ( Reynolds Metals and Rio Tinto's Alcan) and sugar ( GuySuCo ) operations were taken over by the government. However,

1197-561: The Orinoco and Courantyne rivers. Dutch sovereignty over these settlements was recognised in 1648 by Spain with the Peace of Münster , which stated under Article 5 that the Dutch would retain all of the lordships, cities, castles, fortresses, trades and lands in the... West Indies under their possession at the time. However, the treaty did not specify the boundary between Spanish Guiana and Dutch Guiana . Guyana achieved independence from

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1254-658: The Orinoco River known as the "land of many waters". Nine indigenous tribes reside in Guyana: the Wai Wai , Macushi , Patamona , Lokono , Kalina , Wapishana , Pemon , Akawaio and Warao . Historically dominated by the Lokono and Kalina tribes, Guyana was colonised by the Dutch before coming under British control in the late 18th century. It was governed as British Guiana with a mostly plantation-style economy until

1311-596: The People's National Congress Reform rose to power, quickly becoming a repressive authoritarian leader. Politics became divided on race with the Afro-Guyanese supporting Burnham's People's National Congress and the Indo-Guyanese supporting Jagan 's People's Progressive Party , in what became known as aapan jaat politics, loosely translated from Guyanese Hindustani as "vote for your own kind". Guyana

1368-608: The Wai Wai , Macushi , Patamona , Lokono , Kalina , Wapishana , Pemon , Akawaio , and Warao . Many of these peoples practised shifting agriculture alongside hunting . Historians speculate that the Arawaks and Caribs originated in the South American hinterland and migrated northward, first to the present-day Guianas and then to the Caribbean islands. The Arawak, mainly cultivators, hunters, and fishermen, migrated to

1425-502: The 1950s. It gained independence in 1966 and officially became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. The legacy of British colonialism is reflected in the country's political administration, lingua franca and diverse population, which includes Indian , African , Indigenous , Chinese , Portuguese , other European , and various multiracial groups. Guyana is the only mainland South American nation in which English

1482-483: The Atlantic coast (low coastal plain) where most of the population lives; a white sand belt further inland (hilly sand and clay region), containing most of Guyana's mineral deposits; the dense rain forests (Forested Highland Region) in the southern part of the country; the drier savannah areas in the south-west; and the smallest interior lowlands (interior savannah) consisting mostly of mountains that gradually rise to

1539-649: The Brazilian border. Some of Guyana's highest mountains are Mount Ayanganna (2,042 m or 6,699 ft), Monte Caburaí (1,465 m or 4,806 ft) and Mount Roraima (2,772 m or 9,094 ft – the highest mountain in Guyana) on the Brazil-Guyana-Venezuela tripoint border, part of the Pakaraima range. Mount Roraima and Guyana's table-top mountains ( tepuis ) are said to have been

1596-539: The Caribbean islands before the Carib and settled throughout the region. Although Christopher Columbus was the first European to sight Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), and Sir Walter Raleigh wrote an account in 1596, the Dutch were the first Europeans to establish colonies: Pomeroon (1581), Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). After France invaded the Dutch Republic ( 1795 ),

1653-431: The Essequibo watershed support a remarkable diversity of fish and aquatic invertebrates, and are home to giant otters , capybaras , and several species of caimans . On land, large mammals, such as jaguars , tapirs , bush dogs , giant anteaters , and saki monkeys are still common. Over 800 species of birds have been reported from the region, and the reptile and amphibian faunas are similarly rich. In February 2004,

1710-726: The Government of Guyana issued a title to more than 4,000 km (1 × 10 ^ acres) of land in the Konashen Indigenous District as the Kanashen Community-Owned Conservation Area, managed by the Wai Wai , and the world's largest community-owned conservation Area. The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development was also created for the protection and sustainable use of

1767-461: The Iwokrama forest area. Since 2009, Guyana and Norway have collaborated to promote green development in Guyana while keeping deforestation at low levels. The main economic activities in Guyana are agriculture (rice and Demerara sugar ), bauxite and gold mining, timber, seafood, minerals, crude oil and natural gas. The discovery of major crude oil reserves off the Atlantic coast has since made

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1824-788: The Kutari flows out in the Coeroeni River , where the village of Kwamalasamutu is within ten kilometers eastwards as the crow flies. To the north, the Kutari and the Coeroenie successively form the rivers on the eastern border of the Tigri Area. According to Guyana and the United Kingdom , this is the frontier of both countries; according to Suriname the border must be drawn at the New River . This article related to

1881-787: The South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ; these are the plurality ancestry in the East Berbice-Corentyne region. The two largest groups, the Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese, have experienced some racial tension. English is the official language of Guyana and is used for education, government, media, and services. The vast majority of the population speaks Guyanese Creole , an English-based creole with slight African, Indian, and Amerindian influences, as their first language. Guyanese Creole There are many sub-dialects of Guyanese Creole based on geographical location, urban – rural location, and race of

1938-456: The Union of South American Nations. The Guyanese government officially ratified the treaty in 2010. In March 2020, President David A. Granger narrowly lost the snap elections , following Granger's government loss of a vote of no confidence back in 2018. Granger refused to accept the results, but eventually five months later, Irfaan Ali of the People's Progressive Party/Civic was sworn in as

1995-729: The United Kingdom as a dominion on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth . Shortly after independence, Venezuela began to take diplomatic, economic, and military action against Guyana to enforce its territorial claim to the Essequibo region . Five months after Guyana's independence, in October 1966, Venezuelan troops crossed the international border and seized Ankoko Island which has been under occupation ever since. Venezuelan troops quickly constructed military installations and an airstrip. Following independence, Forbes Burnham of

2052-501: The colonies of the territory were merged and the land was given over to the British Empire in 1814. Upon emancipation in 1838, almost all of the former slaves abandoned the plantations, and Indians were brought to the country under indenture contracts from 1838 until the end of the system in 1917. The production of balatá (natural latex ) was once a big business in Guyana. Most of the balatá bleeding in Guyana took place in

2109-616: The completion of the first off-shore oil project. Actual growth in GDP in 2020 was 43%; reports in April 2021 anticipate 20% growth for 2021. The government initiated a major overhaul of the tax code in early 2007. A Value Added Tax (VAT) replaced six different taxes. Prior to the implementation of the VAT, it had been relatively easy to evade sales tax, and many businesses were in violation of tax code. Many businesses opposed VAT introduction because of

2166-508: The countries with the most improvement in Human Development Index ranking since 2015. According to the World Bank in 2023, very significant poverty still exists and the country faces significant risks in structurally managing its growth. The name "Guyana" derives from Guiana , an earlier name for a larger region that included the areas now called Guyana ( British Guyana ), Suriname ( Dutch Guiana ), French Guiana ,

2223-638: The country is English , although a large part of the population is bilingual in English and the indigenous languages. It has a wide variety of natural habitats and very high biodiversity . The country also hosts a part of the Amazon rainforest , the largest tropical rainforest in the world. The region known as " the Guianas " consists of the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of

2280-460: The country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member. In 2017, 41% of the population of Guyana lived below the poverty line . Guyana's economy has been undergoing a transformation since the discovery of crude oil in 2015 and commercial drilling in 2019, with its economy growing by 49% in 2020, making it, by some accounts, currently the world's fastest-growing economy. As it

2337-528: The descendants of indentured labourers from India who make up 43.5% of the population, according to the 2002 census. They are followed by the Afro-Guyanese , the descendants of enslaved people brought from Africa, primarily West Africa , who constitute 30.2%. The Guyanese of mixed heritage make up 16.7%. The Indigenous peoples, known locally as Amerindians , make up 10.5% of the population. The nine Indigenous nations in Guyana, defined by language, are

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2394-445: The economy under nationalisation was plagued by problems; political instability leading to an exodus of skilled labour, inexperienced management, aging infrastructure. Poor international market conditions also expanded the country's debt. The Guyanese economy rebounded slightly and exhibited moderate economic growth after 1999, due to expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favourable atmosphere for business initiatives,

2451-401: The extra paperwork required; however, the Government has remained firm on the VAT. Replacing several taxes with one flat tax rate, it will also be easier for government auditors to spot embezzlement . The large majority (about 90%) of Guyana's 744,000 people live along a narrow coastal strip that ranges from a width of 16 to 64 km (10 to 40 mi) inland and makes up approximately 10% of

2508-528: The first Guyanese election since 1964 to be internationally recognised as free and fair. Cheddi Jagan of the PPP was elected and sworn in as president on 9 October 1992. This reversed the monopoly that Afro-Guyanese traditionally had over Guyanese politics. The poll was marred by violence however. In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of

2565-630: The foothills of the Kanuku Mountains in the Rupununi savannah . Early exploitation also took place in the North West District, but most of the trees in the area were destroyed by illicit bleeding methods that involved cutting down the trees rather than making incisions in them. Uses of balatá included the making of cricket balls , temporary dental fillings, and the crafting of figurines and other decorative items (particularly by

2622-493: The inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's 1912 novel The Lost World . There are also many volcanic escarpments and waterfalls, including Kaieteur Falls which is believed to be the largest single-drop waterfall in the world by volume. North of the Rupununi River lies the Rupununi savannah , south of which lie the Kanuku Mountains . The four longest rivers are the Essequibo at 1,010 km (628 mi) long,

2679-576: The local peoples in order to maintain successful settlements. After the initial rush to find gold in the New World waned, the Dutch found the climate to be suitable for growing sugar cane, converting large tracts of the Guyanese coast into plantations and supplying with labour from the Atlantic slave trade . The country and economy were run by a small European planter elite which continued on when

2736-633: The lower classes most closely resembles other Caribbean English dialects. A phrase such as "I told him" may be pronounced in various parts of the continuum: Definite nouns are pluralized with dem . puliis policeman →   puliis dem police men puliis → {puliis dem } policeman {} police men It is common in Guyanese Creole to repeat adjectives and adverbs for emphasis (the equivalent of adding "very" or "extremely" in standard British and American English). For example, "Dis wata de col col" translates into "This water

2793-629: The most notably famous are the Arapaima , which is the world's largest scaled freshwater fish; the giant anteater , the largest anteater; the giant otter , the world's largest and rarest river otter; and the Guianan cock-of-the-rock bird ( Rupicola rupicola ). The following habitats have been categorised for Guyana: coastal, marine, littoral, estuarine, palustrine, mangrove, riverine, lacustrine, swamp, savanna, white sand forest, brown sand forest, montane, cloud forest, moist lowland and dry evergreen scrub forests (NBAP, 1999). About 14 areas of biological interest have been identified as possible hotspots for

2850-412: The nation's total land area. Guyana's population is racially and ethnically heterogeneous, with ethnic groups originating from India, Africa, Europe, and China, as well as Indigenous peoples . Despite their diverse ethnic backgrounds, most groups share a common language of English and its Guyanese English Creole vernacular. The largest ethnic group is the Indo-Guyanese (also known as East Indians ),

2907-451: The new president because of allegations of fraud and irregularities. The National Trust of Guyana has designated nine historic sites as national monuments. A referendum in neighbouring Venezuela was held in December 2023 on the annexation of the disputed Essequibo region , which lies entirely in the territory of Guyana. The vote passed with a 95% majority, but with a low turnout, with analysts stating Maduro's government had falsified

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2964-452: The north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Venezuela to the west, and Suriname to the east. With a land area of 214,969 km (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname, and is the second-least populous sovereign state in South America after Suriname; it is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth . The official language of

3021-413: The results. This came at the same time as a Venezuelan military buildup on the Guyanese border, sparking concerns of war between the two states. The territory controlled by Guyana lies between latitudes 1° and 9°N , and longitudes 56° and 62°W ; it is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries. The country can be divided into five natural regions: a narrow and fertile marshy plain along

3078-494: The speakers. For example, along the Rupununi River , where the population is largely Amerindian, a distinct form of Guyanese Creole exists. The Georgetown (capital city) urban area has a distinct accent, while within a forty-five-minute drive away from this area the dialect/accent changes again, especially if following the coast where rural villages are located. As with other Caribbean languages, words and phrases are very elastic, and new ones can be made up, changed or evolve within

3135-471: The very low human population density of the area, most of these forests are still intact. The Smithsonian Institution has identified nearly 2,700 species of plants from this region, representing 239 distinct families, and there are certainly additional species still to be recorded. The diversity of plants supports diverse animal life, recently documented by a biological survey organised by Conservation International . The reportedly clean, unpolluted waters of

3192-421: Was described by early explorers Sir Walter Raleigh and Charles Waterton and later by naturalists Sir David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell . Southern Guyana is host to some of the most pristine expanses of evergreen forests in the northern part of South America. Most of the forests found are tall, evergreen hill-land and lower montane forests, with large expanses of flooded forest along major rivers. Thanks to

3249-441: Was elected three times as a member of the UN Security Council in 1975–76, 1982–83 and 2024–25. In 1978, a total of 918 people died at the Jonestown mass murder-suicide led by American cult leader Jim Jones at a remote settlement in northwest Guyana. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visited Guyana to lobby for the resumption of free elections. On 5 October 1992, a new National Assembly and regional councils were elected in

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