Official Name: Cooperative Republic
of Guyana
Capital: Georgetown
Nationality: Guyanese
Official Language: English
Total Population: approx 843,000
Currency: Guyana Dollar
Time Zone: newest + 2; GMT-3
Phone Code: Country Code (592), plus city code, plus the 5 digit
local number
Though not an island, Guyana is just as much a part of the Caribbean,
with its abundant natural resources, lively culture and hospitable
people. Situated on the mainland of South America, one can expect
to find all the attributes of the Amazonian forest, complete with
flowing rivers, teeming wildlife, green mountains and a plethora of
flora and fauna, some of which are not found on the other islands
of the West Indies.
Guyana is known
as the "Fruit Basket of the West Indies", a name which clearly indicates
the pride that the Guyanese have in their country's agricultural and horticultural
diversity. Guyana produces over a narrow, fertile, coastal strip of rich
alluvial soil. Year-round one can find eggplant, pepper, pumpkin, sesame,
corolla, squash and other tropical vegetables. Seasonally there are pineapple,
mangoes, peaches, avocado pear, watermelon and passion fruit to name a
few.
There is a great diversity of cultures
amongst the 180,000 inhabitants of Guyana, Africans and Creoles, East
Indian descendents, Portuguese mulattos and Chinese. Mining is the
principal industry, while sugar, gold, bauxite, rice and diamonds
are high on the list of exports.
Leisure activities in Georgetown tend to be almost
non-stop. Discos, jazz bars, karaoke, and lambada dancing as well
outdoor nature trails, swimming, canoeing, fishing, river bathing
plus dry-land sports such as cricket, badminton, croquet and volleyball.
Accommodation includes downtown hotels or guesthouses,
or one can choose from any number of wooden lodges and nature resorts.
