About Guyana

Guyana (full name is Republic of Guyana) is a tropical country situated on the northern coast of South America. It is the only country in South America where English is the official language. It is bordered by Venezuela on the west, Suriname on the east, Brazil on the south and the Atlantic Ocean on the north.

Guyana has an area of 214,969 sq km (83,000 sq mi), about the size of Great Britain. The name Guyana is an Amerindian word meaning Land Of Many Waters.

We are known as the country of Six People- Africans, Amerindians, Chinese, East Indians, Europeans and Portugese. Guyana is notably famous for Kaieteur Falls, which is situated on the Potaro River, where that river falls off the Pakaraima Plateau. 

GUYANA's FLAG
The Golden Arrowhead, Guyana's National Flag has FIVE symbolic colors -- GREEN represents the agricultural and forested nature of Guyana, WHITE symbolizes the rivers and water potential of the country, a GOLDEN arrow represents Guyana's mineral wealth, BLACK portrays the endurance that will sustain the forward thrust of the Guyanese people and RED represents the zeal and dynamic nature of nation-building which lies before the young and independent Guyana.

COAT OF ARMS

ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, ONE DESTINY
So reads the banner displayed proudly at the base of Guyana's COAT OF ARMS.
The design consists of an Amerindian head-dress symbolizing the indigenous people of the country, two diamonds at the sides of the head-dress representing mining industry, a helmet (monarchial insignia), two jaguars holding a pick axe, sugar cane and a stalk of rice (symbolizing Guyana's sugar and rice industries), a shield decorated with the National Flower (Victoria Regia Lily), three blue wavy lines representing the waters of Guyana and the National Bird (Canje Pheasant).

Guyana has a population of 758,619 (1991 estimate). About 50 percent of the people are of East Indian descent, and about 30 percent are of black African descent. Five percent are Native Amerindians, and about 10 percent are of mixed background. Others include Chinese and Europeans. About 90 percent of the mostly rural population lives along the coast. About 42 percent are Christians, 34 percent are Hindus, and 9 percent are Muslims. The country's official language is English.

In the late 1980s about 134,700 pupils were enrolled in 425 elementary schools in Guyana. Some 100 secondary, technical, and teacher-training institutions had a total of approximately 73,400 students. The country’s principal institution of higher education, the University of Guyana (1963), in Georgetown, was attended by about 2300 students.

Guyana has three major geographical regions. A belt of alluvial soil, mostly below sea level, borders the coast in the north and is protected by dams and dikes. To the south, dense forest covers four-fifths of the country. The plants and trees of Guyana are noted for their great size; the giant water lily is very common. The forest extends to interior highlands. Several rivers flow from south to north, forming spectacular waterfalls. The country has important mineral deposits of bauxite, manganese, and gold. Dense forests contain greenheart and mora trees, which are used in the lumber industry. Animals include anteaters, monkeys, and brilliantly colored birds and insects. (Read More)

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Guyana's Agricultural