Guyana: Former British Slave Colony with Dense Tropical Rainforests

Guyana’s indigenous inhabitants were the Warrou people. Around 17th century, Dutch settlers claimed the area followed by English and French colonizers. The colonizers practiced slavery in Guyana and made natives to work on sugar plantations, which led to a mixture of races. As a result now about 50% of the population consists of East Indians and other people of African descent. Slavery was abolished in 1834, however it was only in 1966 that Guyana won its independence from British rule.

Guyana Fast Facts:

· National Name: Co-operative Republic of Guyana
· National Capital: Georgetown
· Total Area: 214,969 sq km (83,000 sq miles)
· Total Population: 738,000 (UN, 2007)
· Ethnic races: East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)
· Religions: Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%, Jehovah Witness 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, Muslim 7.2%, other 4.3%, none 4.3% (2002 census)
· Currency: Guyanese dollar (G$)
· GDP per capita: $3,700 (2007 est.)
· Languages: English, indigenous languages, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
· Life Expectancy: 64 years (men), 70 years (women) (UN)
· Literacy Rate: 98.8% (2003 est.)

Guyana Geography, Climate and Economy:
Guyana situated on the coast of South America largely comprises of tropical forests covering around 80% of the total area. Geographically it consists of three zones that are the coastal plains, interior highlands and the white sand belt. The coastal area is the arable land consisting of alluvial soil eroded by the Amazon River.

The climate of Guyana is tropical characterized by extreme hot temperatures and humid climate. The hottest month of the country is July with temperature range of 29 degree Celsius and February is the coolest month with 23 degree Celsius.

Guyana’s economy is largely based on Agriculture and mining including the economy from the exports accounting to 75% of its earnings. The natural resource content comprises of bauxite, gold, diamonds, timber and fish. However, it largely imports the wheat requirements from the United States on concessional prices.

Culture and Cuisine of Guyana:
The culture of Guyana is greatly influenced by the Europeans who ruled over Guyana as their colony for a long time. The National Museum comprises the traditional paintings, which depicts the colonial era relics. The foremost Guyanese writers include Wilson Harris, Walter Rodney and A.J Seymour who have contributed to literary works.

The cuisine of Guyana largely includes seafood and Creole dishes like pepperpot stew made with watrash. It also comprises of Chinese and East Indian curry flavors. The local beverages include Russian beer rum, fruit punches and alcohol drinks. Cowheel soup is yet another of popular Guyanese dishes.

Tourist Sites in Guyana:
Guyana has a number of tourist sites to be explored, which provides a look over into the country’s ancient preserved culture and the colonial architecture. Besides this, Guyana has the second tallest wooden church of St. George’s Cathedral at the Church Street standing at a height of 43.5m. One of the oldest museum of the country is Walter Roth Anthropology Museum, which attracts thousands of tourists from world over.

Some Other Tourist Sites are:

· Guyana Museum
· The Museum of African Heritage
· Kaieteur Falls
· Botanical Garden
· St George's Cathedral
· The Rupununi Weavers Society Museum

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