Interesting Facts About Guyana - Fun Facts About Guyana

Guyana is a nation state situated on the Atlantic Ocean, to the north of equator, in the tropics. Sited on the mainland of South America, it stands bordered by Suriname in the east, Brazil in the south and southwest and Venezuela in the west. Guyana is often called ‘Land of Six People’, since its population comprises of indigenous Amerindian population, descendants of African slaves, Asian Indians, Chinese and Portuguese indentured laborers and European (British, Dutch and French) colonialists. Though Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana in 1498 only, it was the Dutch who first establish colonies here, in 1616. Guyana also holds the pride of being the only nation belonging to the Common wealth located on the continent of South America. Owner of a considerably rich ecology, Guyana is also included among the poor economies of South America. In case you want to know more about Guyana, browse through the information given below.

Image: John+Elaine@flickr

Fast Facts

Continent: South America

Area: 214,970 km²

Capital: Georgetown

Population: 752,940 (2011)

Currency: Guyanese dollar

Official Languages: English, Portuguese, Waiwai, Spanish, Carib

Calling Code: +592

Time Zone: GMT - 4

Fun & Interesting Facts about Guyana

The official name of Guyana is the ‘Co-operative Republic of Guyana’.
Guyana is the only nation state of the Commonwealth of Nations on the mainland of South America.
Guyana is the third-smallest country on the mainland of South America.
Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America, along with being one of four non-Spanish-speaking territories on the continent.
The first Europeans arrived in Guyana around 1500. Before their arrival, Arawak and Carib tribes inhabited the country.
Kaieteur Falls of Guyana are 741 feet high i.e. around five times as high as Niagara Falls.
Guyana became a British Colony in 1831 and was known as British Guiana.
Guyana gained independence in 1966 and since then, has been supporting a parliamentary system.
Guyana became a Republic, within the (British) Commonwealth, in 1970.
The national motto of Guyana is "One People, One Nation, One Destiny"
The major languages of Guyana are English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi and Urdu.
The major religions of Guyana are Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.
The highest point in Guyana is Mount Roraima (2,835 m).
The longest river in Guyana is the Essequibo River.
The Dutch were the ones to build a system of dykes in the coastal region of Guyana, in order to prevent flooding.
The Omai gold mine in Guyana is one of the largest open-pit gold mines in South America.
Victoria Amazonia is the National Flower of Guyana, while its National Bird is Hoatzin, locally known as Canje Pheasant.
There was a great demand for plantation workers in Guyana which led to the immigration of the East Indians into the nation.
Every boy in Guyana loves to play cricket, the game, which was inherited from the British.
About 70% of the total area of Guyana is covered with rain forests. It also holds the pride of being the largest rain forests of the world. The country also has some unique endemic species of animals and plants.
The size of Guyana is larger than New York but smaller than Idaho.
Slavery in the state was banned in the year 1834.
Out of the total population of Guyana, 36 % of them belong to the African descent while the half of the people constitutes the East Indian origin.
Progressive People’s Party (PPP) was the first ever political party formed in the colony of Guyana which was formed by Cheddi Jagan (Indian-Guyanese) and Forbes Burnham (Afro-Guyanese) in the year 1950.
The country gained fame in the world in the wrong way when Jim Jones (religious cult leader) and his 900 supporters committed suicide in Guyana, in 1978.

How to Cite

Facts About Guyana

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Travel'