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GUYANA
Guyana lies in the northeast of South America, bordered by Venezuela to the west, Surinam to the southeast and Brazil to the south. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The word ‘Guiana’ (the original Amerindian spelling) means ‘land of many waters’ and the name was well chosen, for there are over 1600km (965 miles) of navigable rivers in the country. The interior is either high savannah uplands (such as those along the Venezuelan border, called the Rupununi, and the Kanuku Mountains in the far southwest), or thick, hilly jungle and forest, which occupy over 83 per cent of the country’s area. The narrow coastal belt contains the vast majority of the population, and produces the major cash crop, sugar, and the major subsistence crop, rice. One of the most spectacular sights to be seen in the interior is the towering Kaieteur Falls along the Potaro River, five times the height of Niagara. The country has 322km (206 miles) of coastline. More than 25 per cent of the population lives in or near Georgetown.
There are over 1600km (965 miles) of navigable rivers in the country. The interior is either high savannah uplands, or thick, hilly jungle and forest, which occupy over 85 per cent of the country’s area. The narrow coastal strip is cultivated to produce the major cash crop, sugar. One of the most spectacular sights to be seen in the interior is the towering Kaieteur Falls along the Potaro River, five times the height of Niagara. The 19th-century wooden houses of
the capital, Georgetown, are supported on stilts, and charming green boulevards laid out along the lines of the old Dutch canals give it a unique character. Some of the more impressive wooden buildings dating from the colonial past include St George’s Cathedral and the State House. Restaurants serve specialties such as Portuguese garlic pork and Amerindian pepperpot. Local rum, known as Demerara Rum, is well worth trying, while the local beer is Banks. There are numerous nightclubs and bars in Georgetown.
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