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COUNTRY INFORMATION - GUYANA

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Location Of Guyana:
Guyana lays in the north-east of South America, bordered by Venezuela to the west, Surinam to the south-east, Brazil to the south, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The word & #8216;Guiana’ (the original Amerindian spelling) means & #8216;land of many waters’ and the name was well chosen, for there are over 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 Kanaku Mountains in the far south-west), or thick, hilly jungle and forest, which occupy over 85 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 206 miles of coastline.

Airports:
Georgetown International is 26 miles from the city and the travel time is around 60 minutes. An irregular and crowded bus service to the city is available. Taxis meet every plane.

Language:
English is the official language, but Creole, Hindi, Urdu and Amerindian dialects are also spoken.

Places To Go:
In Georgetown, the 19th.century wooden houses supported on stilts and charming green boulevards laid out along the lines of the old Dutch canals give the capital a unique character. Some of the more impressive wooden buildings dating from the colonial past include the city hall, St George’s Cathedral, the Law Courts and the State House. The Botanical Gardens, covering 120 acres, have a fine collection of palms, orchids and lotus lilies. Nearby is the new Cultural Centre, which contains what is probably the best theatre in the Caribbean. Also worth visiting is the Natural History Museum, which contains an up-to-date display of all aspects of Guyanese life and culture, and the Walter Roth Anthropological Museum.

At the junction of the Essequibo and Mazaruni rivers, Bartica is the & #8216;take-off’ town for the gold and diamond fields, Kaieteur Falls and the rest of the interior. A visit to the Kaieteur Falls in the Kaieteur National Park is particularly recommended. Situated on the Potaro River, it ranks with Iquazú, Niagara and Victoria in majesty and beauty. There are numerous beaches in Guyana, including Almond Beach, Shell Beach, No 63 Beach and Saxacelli Beach. There are rainforests in Iwokrama and Pakaraima mountains. Surama, set in savannah surrounded by forest-covered mountains, is home to the Amerindian community of the Macushi tribe, which welcomes tourists.

Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana
157 Waterloo Street,
North Cummingsburg,
Georgetown,
Guyana
Tel: 225 0807 or 225 6699.
Fax: 225 0817.
E-mail: thag@networksgy.com
Website: www.exploreguyana.com

Guyana High Commission
3 Palace Court,
Bayswater Road,
London
W2 4LP,
UK
Tel: (020) 7229 7684.
Fax: (020) 7727 9809.
E-mail: ghc.1@ic24.net
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 09:30-17:30 (except national and UK holidays); Mon-Fri 09:30-14:30 (consular enquiries).

British High Commission
44 Main Street,
Georgetown,
Guyana
Tel: 226 5881-4.
Fax: 225 3555 or 225 0671 (consular section).
E-mail: enquiries@britain-in-guyana.org
Website: www.britain-in-guyana.org

CIA World Factbook - Guyana

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