Guyana

 =GUYANA =

FACTS
 * //Area://** 214 969 km2
 * //Population://** 772 298
 * //Capital://** Georgetown
 * //Currency://** Dollar à 100 cents
 * //Official language://** English
 * //Religion://** Protestant and Roman Catholic Christianity, Hinduism and Islam
 * //Government://** Republic
 * //Independence://** 26 May 1966
 * //National day://** 23 February



GEOGRAPHY AND NATURE Guyana is a state which lies in the north-eastern part of South America, and borders to Brazil, Surinam and Venezuela. Guyana can be divided into five natural regions; a narrow plain (along the Atlantic coast), a white sand belt, rainforests (in the middle), a grassy savannah (southern west) and a larger interior savannah (consists mostly of mountains). The highest mountain in Guyana is Mount Roraima, which is 2772 metres. Guyana also has a lot of waterfalls, for example King George VI Fall (488m), which is the 19th highest waterfall in the world. The longest river in Guyana is the Essequibo (1010km). The animal life in Guyana is very rich, and in the rainforests you can find a lot of species. For example marsupials, ant bears, armadillos, sloths, pumas, jaguars and a lot of different monkeys. Guyana has over 750 different species of birds, and it’s a lot of insects and snakes here! The climate in Guyana is tropical and the temperature variations are small. The average temperature is about 26 – 27˚C. In Guyana they have two rainy seasons (April-August and November-January), and the yearly amount of precipitation in Georgetown is around 2400 mm.



TRADE The economy in Guyana is mainly depending on export of sugar and rice, bauxite, diamonds and gold. The agriculture is very important in the country and employs over 20 % of the working. Apart from sugar and rice, they raise citrus fruits, cocoa, coconuts and coffee. They also do some fishing, and especially shrimp fishing. You can find the most important mining around Linden, but in recent years the production of bauxite has fell because of competition from other countries(for example China). Most of the industry is based on production of rum, molasses, bear, hermetic fruits, shrimps, rice, sugar, cigarettes and textiles. They mostly export to the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Venezuela.



HISTORY In 1498 Columbus sailed along the coast of Guyana and discovered the Indians in the country. Traders from Netherland settled along the coast of Guyana in 1620 and they stayed until 1621. The British controlled the coast of Surinam a short period, but they exchanged with the Dutchmen. And Netherland controlled the coast of Surinam, Guyana and French Guyana from 1667 to 1796. In 1796 the British captured the coast of Guyana, but in 1802 the Dutchmen captured it again. The country was a British colony from 1814 to 1966(under the name British Guyana), and it was a lot of slavery in the colony. Guyana became an independent state (under The Commonwealth) in 1966. In the 1980s it was a lot of corruption and smuggling in Guyana, but since 1989(Desmond Hoyte became president) Guyana has had an economic growth. In 1999 Bharrat Jagdeo became president, and he still rules the country.

CULTURE The culture in Guyana is very rich, because a lot of nationalities are mixed up in the country. In Guyana you can find people from India (50%), Africa (30%) and a lot of other nationalities as well. One of the most important cultural events in Guyana is the Mashramani. Mashramani is a festival on the 23 February, where they celebrate the birth of the republic. They arrange parades, play a lot of music and eat food. The music in Guyana is a mix of African, Indian and European music, and the artists play both pop and reggae. The major sports in Guyana are cricket, softball cricket and football. The food in Guyana is varied and often very spicy. Some popular dishes are cook-up rice, cassava bread and chow mein.