Language: English
Currency: Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Calling Code: 592
Guyana is in South America. Bordering countries are Suriname, Brazil
and Venezuela. To the south is the Rupununi region. The northern part
with the main town of Annai is savannah, the southern part is jungle and
completely undeveloped. Available tours definitely have an expedition
character. The only village is Lethem, which is on the border.
Guyana is a small, formerly socialist country. Its natives, the
"Amerindians" are found almost exclusively in the Southwest and are
under "Conservation." The country itself is very tourist friendly, e.g.
For example, the timber industry leaves a 200m wide strip of forest
along roads and rivers for tourists.
The country's main sources
of income are sugar, gold, rice, bauxite and timber exports. Tourism
still plays a minor role, but some jungle lodges and day tours are
available. An economic upturn is expected from the oil production on
drilling platforms that started in 2019.
Coast
Home to the majority of the population,
structured by a few rivers that flow into the Atlantic.
Georgetown
Bartica Mabaruma New Amsterdam
highlands
The plateau and
mountainous region between the Orinoco and the Amazon is sparsely
populated and known for its nature.
Lethem · Paramakatoi
Berbice-Corentyne
linden trees
The northwest region, the coast between the Demerara
and the border with Venezuela, is almost undeveloped.
All cities
are rather small. The city limits are sometimes very blurred, on the
coast the buildings stretch along the streets to the next city.
1
Georgetown – Cultural and economic center of the country.
2 Linden -
Industrial center surrounded by ore mines.
3 Kwakwani – Southernmost
mining town with road access.
4Anna Regina
5 Bartica
6 Skeldon
Iwokrama Forest is a massive area in Potaro- Siparuni region in Guyana. It covers a total area of 1 million acres of pristine forest.
Kaieteur Falls is a beautiful geologic formation on Potaro river in Potaro- Siparuni region of Guyana. Its total height is measured at 741 feet.
entry requirements
From Europe, citizens of the new EU states
(“Eastern enlargement”) need a visa. Germans, Austrians, Luxembourgers
and Swiss do not need a visa for stays of up to 3 months. Anyone who
needs a visa – including Liechtenstein residents – can get one, e.g. B.
Apply at the Guyanese embassy in Brussels (current list of entry
requirements).
The usual vaccinations for tropical countries are
not mandatory, but recommended. Neighboring countries may require proof
of yellow fever vaccination. Malaria prophylaxis is not necessary in the
coastal area, it is essential for the hinterland.
There are no
railway lines or international bus routes into the country. However,
there are minibus services that run between Georgetown and Paramaribo in
one go (with ferry crossing).[1]
Airplane
There are no
inexpensive direct flights from Central Europe. The connection is made
by British or American airlines, in the 1st half of 2017 at prices well
over € 3000 return, which always require a change in the USA, so that
you still have to undergo the excessive entry controls there, including
ESTA registration.
The only international airport is Timeri
Airport (GEO), about 40km south of Georgetown. From here it's a quick
taxi or minibus ride to Georgetown or Linden.
Be sure to get
money in small bills (2, 5 and 10 GYD) or 1 USD bills before entering
the country! There is no change option at the airport!
The
porters pick up your luggage directly at customs. Everyone carries only
one piece of luggage and gets 2-10 GYD for it depending on the weight.
If you don't want to take a taxi, you must tell the porters immediately
which minibus (Georgetown or Linden) you want to take. You will not have
the opportunity to do so later. Make absolutely sure that all luggage
ends up in the same taxi or bus. The bus prices are fixed, the drivers
are honest and collect before the journey. Taxi fares should be
negotiated in advance and paid at the end.
car/motorcycle/bicycle
A road runs east along the coast from Georgetown to the border river
Corantijn; From there you can take a car ferry to Suriname. From
Georgetown south the highway leads to Linden. All other road connections
require an off-road four-wheel drive vehicle and precise knowledge of
the trafficability. It happens again and again that bridges collapse and
are not rebuilt!
Venezuela
Venezuela claims 65% of Guyanese
territory. The resulting poor relations mean that there is no border
crossing.
Brazil
The BR-401 bound for Bonfim, coming from
Boavista, Brazil, crosses the border into Lethem. The only raison d'être
of this sleepy town is the crossing, which is open from 7am to 7pm.
Minibuses operate to Linden and Georgetown (15 hrs in the dry season,
well over 24 in the rain). There is also a small airport with three
daily flights from Georgetown. Price early 2022: € 220 single.
There
are some basic, overpriced hotels in both border villages.
Ship
Yachtsmen must check in at Georgetown or upriver at Bartica.
In the area of the cities there is a well-functioning mini-bus line
system. It stops where you want to get off the route. Likewise, you
simply stop a bus to take a ride. There are a few horn signals, e.g. B.
"Do you want to come with me?".
A route change can also be
negotiated at the departure point (start of the line), provided that the
driver returns to his route. The whole bus can also be rented for other
destinations.
The taxis are more comfortable. For exotic routes,
be sure to ask beforehand about the suitability of the vehicle, it often
has to be an all-wheel drive vehicle. Waving at the side of the road to
the next passer-by and asking the price of your destination is not
without its dangers – licensed taxis are yellow and have a number plate
with a number beginning with “H”. There is no such thing as a "Taxi
Control Centre". But there are always some near the hotels and
restaurants.
It is also very easy to walk within the cities, but
there is a risk of robbery, especially at night. Bicycles are also
plentiful, but not recommended for tourists because of the temperatures.
Those wishing to hire a car - which is not practical in the rainy
season - can obtain a local driver's permit at the airport or License
Revenue Office (Camp Street, Georgeton), the fee is G$2000 (2022).
Validity 30 days.
To reach the areas west of the Essequibo, one
can either take one of the decrepit ferries or a "speedboat" from
Parika. There are no bridges. You have to plan several hours for the
ferry ride, the speedboats (small wooden boats with outboard motors)
reach Tiger Island, Bartica or Suddie within an hour.
The English dialect is easy to understand. The language may seem
incomplete to the school English-speaking tourist, but once you get used
to using simple, unadorned sentences, you can get by anywhere.
Many of the Guyanese learned German at school, and there are also many
German-speaking foreigners in the vicinity of the university.
Shops open 8am-4pm Saturday mornings. Sunday is rest day.
The
national currency is the Guyana Dollar (GYD), which is tied to the US$.
At the beginning of 2022, one US dollar is equivalent to 207 Guyana
dollars. US$ should be carried on entry and exchanged in the country.
You can often pay with US$ instead of GYD. Change is always in GYD. ATMs
are not available outside the capital, and credit cards are hardly ever
accepted. At least at Scotiabank there are no problems with foreign
cards. If you don't have enough money with you, you can get cash in
banks with credit cards. There is also a Western Union office in
Georgetown (19 Water St.) which allows cash to be transferred directly
to Georgetown from Europe.
In the markets there is nothing that
does not exist. You just have to find it. High-tech is mostly imported
from the USA and is at least as expensive as in Europe. Local products
(especially the rum) are of high quality and are preferable to imported
goods. Prices can almost always be negotiated.
Creole cuisine is not widespread. Chinese and Indians in particular
dominate the bars. But of course there are also fast food restaurants.
Important sources of starch are cassava and plantains.
Metemgee
is a stew made with cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, okra and a
spicy, peppery coconut milk sauce. Most Guyanese eat metemgee with fried
fish, boiled eggs, or meat.
Fufu is a mash made from cassava and
plantains that doesn't deny its African origins.
Rum is the main
alcoholic drink. The El Dorado distillery in Demerara stores its product
in wooden barrels for 12-15 years and also exports to Europe.
Nightlife doesn't exist. Restaurants and bars are open until the owner is tired. For example, at Market Square in Georgetown, the last bar closes at around 11:00 p.m. There's coffee there from around 5:00 a.m.
Hotels are rare, expensive and without breakfast. Sometimes there are common rooms where you can use your hammock for little money. Other accommodations are a matter of luck. Tent sites or rest areas do not exist.
Exchange money only in official exchange offices. The black market is
not worth it (about 1% savings).
The country is one of the
poorest in the world. The gap between rich and poor is correspondingly
large. Never let a large sum of money be seen on the street. Avoid
walking in slums, etc.
Whites are a minority and many of the
locals still have personal memories of oppression during British
colonial rule. This occasionally leads to provocations towards foreign
whites.
The military controls large parts of the hinterland. In
the southeast there are border disputes with Suriname, in the west with
Venezuela. Travel to these remote areas must be approved by the
military. There are military checkpoints with ID checks along the
country roads.
The settlements of the Amerindians in the
southwest are under the control of the chiefs or elders (captains).
Permission to visit this area is required from the Ministry of
Indigenous Peoples Affairs (formerly Amerindians Affairs Office) in
Georgetown (251-252 Quamina / Thomas St.). There you will also get a
special document for the captains, which states the reason for the visit
and the estimated duration. This is to avoid getting into a tribal war.
But are they really postponing their war because you're traveling
around?
If you want to travel in the back country, you should
find a guide who has a gun license. Carrying weapons in Guyana requires
a permit. Foreigners can only get such a permit with a work permit if
the work requires it. And it can take a few years.
The usual vaccinations for tropical countries (typhoid, cholera,
hepatitis) are not mandatory, but recommended. Malaria prophylaxis is
not necessary in the coastal area, it is essential for the hinterland.
Only drink bottled water. Only use tap water to brush your teeth if
it is chlorinated or boiled. Ice cubes in restaurants are harmless. Be
sure to wash fresh fruit from the market before eating. Only eat meat
that is boiled or well roasted. If you still want an “English steak”,
you should go to the meat hall on the market BEFORE and look up. It is
your life.
If you go to a doctor, you need a lot of cash. The
treatment is paid directly in advance. Medicines are available in some
pharmacies, but much has to be procured first. This can take days.
Those who are particularly brave go to a public hospital. The
treatment and all medication are then free of charge. However, one
should consider that medical care suffers from severe financial problems
and at least pay something voluntarily.
There are no ambulances,
so take a taxi in an emergency. Addresses of doctors can be obtained
from the hotel or found in the telephone book. If you are traveling
inland, you will need to arrange for emergency transportation yourself.
One possibility is e.g. B. the pilots' association at the Ogle Airstrip
(near Georgetown). Air transport from/to Konashen (southernmost
airfield) costs around USD 2,000 there. Helicopters are only allowed to
the military.
Tropical hot and humid all year round. The best travel time on the coast is between the two rainy seasons, which last from May to August and mid-November to January. Inland, it only rains more often in December.
A friendly "Hello" when entering restaurants and shops is a welcome
one.
Too much bare skin is not welcomed on the street, nudism is
forbidden.
Racism against Indians and whites originating from the
black population spread. The division has defined the political mood in
the country since the 1990s.
Mobile phone coverage is only good in the capital region. Provider is
GTT. In 2022, the minute price will be G$ 34, SMS G$ 9.3. The few
hotspots in Georgetown can only be used with a data package.
Internet is slow, GTT only sells 5 or 10 Mb/s lines.
Guyana is located between 1° and 8.5° north latitude and between 57°
and 61° west longitude. The lowest point is on the Atlantic coast, the
highest point is Mount Roraima-Tepui at 2810 m. On the border to
Venezuela and Brazil rises the mountains of Guiana, after which the
state was named. The main river is the Essequibo, which rises in the
south of the country and flows into the Atlantic in the north. The 225 m
high Kaieteur Falls are located in the Potaro National Park.
85%
of the country is sparsely populated tropical rainforest. The west and
south are criss-crossed by mountain ranges, where the country's most
important rivers originate. On the coast you will find a swampy coastal
strip. Behind is a 20 to 70 km wide alluvial zone, which is partly at
sea level and was dyked by Dutch settlers in the 18th century and
drained by countless drainage canals. The country's agricultural belt is
located here, with rice, sugar cane, coconuts and citrus fruits being
cultivated.
The climate is tropical with rainfall up to 3000 mm per year; Average annual temperatures 27 °C, maximum temperatures around 34 °C, minimum temperatures around 20 °C; Humidity 73-88%. There are two rainy seasons: strong from April to August, weaker September to November, stronger again until the end of January, then dryness until the beginning of April.
According to climate experts from the World Bank, Guyana is one of
the countries in the South American-Caribbean region that will be
particularly hard hit by sea level rise as a result of climate change. A
meter rise in sea level in Guyana would inundate an area that is home to
70% of the population and 40% of the country's agricultural land. In
2004, the government placed an area of around 4,000 square kilometers in
southwestern Guyana under protection, in which the indigenous Waiwai
people live.
According to the Environmental Performance Index,
State and Dynamics of the Environmental System, published in January
2021, Guyana ranks 126th out of 180 countries. In the WorldRiskReport
2021, the country ranks 7th out of 181 countries with the highest risk
of an extreme natural hazard leading to a disaster.
The largest cities are (as of January 1, 2017): Georgetown 235,017
inhabitants, Linden 44,690 inhabitants, New Amsterdam 35,039 inhabitants
and Anna Regina 12,448 inhabitants.
The population of Georgetown
was 151,679 at the 1991 census and 137,330 at the September 15, 2002
census. This means that around 20 percent of the country's people are
concentrated in the capital region.
The name "Guyana" was derived from the original name of the Guiana region. The region includes Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and parts of Venezuela and Brazil. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name means "land of many waters".
In the 17th and 18th centuries, today's Guyana consisted of the
colonies of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice, which were founded by the
Netherlands. In 1763 there was a slave revolt in Berbice under Cuffy,
who is now regarded as a national hero.
The development of
women's suffrage is linked to the colonial history of the area. In 1812,
according to Frank A. Narain, women were granted the right to vote if
they owned slaves or could pay income tax on at least 10,000 guilders;
There is no information in the source as to whether this created
equality between women and men.
Ownership of these areas changed
hands several times between the colonial powers of the Netherlands,
Great Britain and France until 1815. After the defeat of Napoleon
Bonaparte, the three colonies were transferred to the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The colony
of British Guiana was founded in 1831.
On August 1, 1834, slavery
was abolished. After the expiry of the subsequent work obligation for
the former slaves on July 31, 1838 and the loss of workers, especially
on the plantations, the British obliged contract workers from British
India as replacements.
From 1849 only male British citizens were
allowed to vote; their right to vote was further restricted by demands
on their assets.
After Frank A. Narain, women were given back the
right to vote in 1928; the right to vote continued to be linked to a
certain wealth. Another source puts 1945 as the year in which active
women's suffrage was introduced into the British Guiana legislature.
In 1953, British troops intervened in British Guiana over fears that
the People's Progressive Party (PPP), founded by husband and wife team
Janet and Cheddi Jagan, was planning to establish a communist state in
Guyana.
research trips
The British geologist and topographer
Charles B. Brown traveled from 1868 to 1871 on behalf of the colonial
administration through the mostly unexplored hinterland of the region
between Suriname and Venezuela. Brown was commissioned with the exact
surveying of the river courses and geological investigations. Thanks to
his 40-month research trips in the tropical jungle, numerous native
settlements, deposits of mineral resources and topographical features in
the interior were documented. According to Schomburgk's research results
from 1841 to 1844, Brown's work was also important for the exact
determination of the borders with the neighboring countries of Suriname,
Brazil and Venezuela.
Guyana finally achieved independence from the United Kingdom on May
26, 1966, and was declared a Cooperative Republic by the People's
National Congress (PNC) on February 23, 1970 under Premier Forbes
Burnham.
Ethnic conflicts between Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese
have played a role in society and politics since the 1960s. In 1978, the
Jonestown massacre made Guyana world news. After the assassination of a
US politician, cult leader Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple ordered his
followers to commit suicide. Over 900 people lost their lives.
In
1980 a new constitution was passed. The powers of the prime minister
were restricted and the executive presidency introduced.
In 1989, the government of Guyana began an economic program that
intended a drastic shift from a state-controlled planned economy to a
free-market economy with open markets.
After the 1992
presidential elections, won by the PPP's Cheddi Jagan, militant
supporters of the defeated PNC rioted in the capital, Georgetown. After
Jagan died in 1997, his widow, Janet Jagan, was elected President in
December 1997. In August 1999 she resigned due to ill health and Bharrat
Jagdeo became the new President of Guyana. On September 2, 2006, Bharrat
Jagdeo was confirmed in office as President. After the renewed electoral
success of the PPP in 2011, its candidate Donald Ramotar became the new
president on December 3, 2011, succeeding the previous incumbent Bharrat
Jagdeo, who was not allowed to stand again after two terms in office.
The 11 May 2015 National Assembly elections were won by the
opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and
Alliance for Change (AFC) led by former Brigadier General David Granger.
The PPP lost power after 23 years. Granger was sworn in as President on
May 16, 2015.
On December 21, 2018, Parliament passed a vote of
no confidence to Granger. According to the constitution, a new
parliament should have been elected within 90 days. However, the
government challenged the no-confidence vote in court, gaining time. On
June 18, 2019, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the
government should call new elections. The court-ordered elections
finally took place on March 2, 2020. The electoral commission declared
the ruling APNU-AFC coalition the victor, 59,077 votes ahead of the PPP.
However, according to the findings of international election observers,
the counting of the votes was partly irregular. After sustained
protests, the government and opposition finally agreed on a recount.
However, this started very slowly. On May 18, 2020, only 642 of 2339
ballot boxes had been recounted. Finally, after the recount, Irfaan Ali
of the PPP took office in August 2020.
homosexuality
Amnesty International has warned the country in its
annual human rights reports; mainly because of the lifelong prison
sentences for homosexuals and their frequent abuse by the state.
Parliament is sticking to the law, but at the same time is considering
an anti-discrimination law that would e.g. to protect against
discrimination based on sexual identity.
death penalty
Guyana
is the only South American country to retain the death penalty in
criminal law (Brazil, Chile and Peru still have it in military law). The
country has also been criticized for this by human rights activists. The
death penalty applies to murder, planned murder, mass murder, terrorism,
rape, treason and torture. According to the constitution, however, their
application is not mandatory. The last execution took place in 1997 (as
of July 2017).
foreign policy
International political
memberships
Since gaining independence in 1966, Guyana has striven to
play a major role in international politics. The country was a member of
the UN Security Council twice (1975-1976 and 1982-1983). Guyana
maintains diplomatic relations with a large number of countries and
organizations. The United Nations, the European Union (EU), the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization
of American States (OAS) all have offices in Georgetown. Guyana is also
a member of the Commonwealth and CELAC and a founding member of the
Caribbean Community CARICOM.
border conflicts
As a colonial
heritage, Guyana has also taken over the border conflicts with
neighboring countries. The disputed land areas of Guyana are added to
the maps used in this article.
Border conflict with Venezuela
Venezuela, neighbor to the west, claims all territory west of the
Essequibo. An arbitration award made by an international conciliation
commission in 1899, then accepted by Venezuela, determined the current
borders. In the 1960s, information emerged which Venezuela believed
proved the bias of the then Conciliation Commission, and Venezuela has
since renewed its claims to the boundary along the Essequibo. In 1966,
the Venezuelan occupation of Ankoko Island led to a tightening of
diplomatic relations between the two countries. Should the Venezuelan
claim be upheld, more than half of Guyanese territory would fall to
Venezuela. Guyana submitted the case to the International Court of
Justice for a decision in 2018.
Border conflict with Suriname
The eastern neighbor Suriname also asserts territorial claims. After
Suriname had militarily asserted its maritime territorial claims against
Guyana in June 2000 by deploying two gunboats against the Canadian
company CGX Energy and thus preventing the construction of an oil
drilling platform, the state of Guyana called the Permanent Court of
Arbitration (PCA ) based in The Hague to clarify the border dispute.
In consultation with the PCA, on September 20, 2007 Presidents
Ronald Venetiaan and Bharrat Jagdeo publicly announced the final
judgment of the five-member Arbitral Tribunal of September 17, 2007. The
arbitral tribunal awarded Guyana 33,152 square kilometers and Suriname
17,871 square kilometers of the resource-rich sea area. Both heads of
state welcomed the decision and the settlement of the dispute. The
verdict makes it possible for oil companies to start exploring and
developing the coastal basin. Oil reserves of 15 billion barrels and gas
deposits of 1.2 trillion cubic meters are suspected on the seabed there.
According to previous investigations, most of these deposits are
probably on the Guyanese side. The area that led to the military
intervention through Suriname in June 2000 and forced the company CGX
Energy to withdraw is also within the area allocated to Guyana. The
tribunal dismissed the US$34 million in compensation demanded by Guyana
for this action.
The arbitral tribunal further confirmed that the
entire Corantijn river belongs to Surinamese territory. This means that
Suriname has control over all shipping traffic from the mouth on the
Corantijn.
Generally
Guyana lives mainly from agriculture and mining. The
country has one of the world's largest deposits of bauxite, its most
important export product. Gold (see Omai opencast mine), manganese ores,
diamonds, sugar, rice, shrimp, rum and wood are also exported. Large
parts of the forest were cut down for the extraction of mineral
resources, but at the same time the country would be “particularly
affected by a rise in sea level as a result of climate change”. Guyana
is a founding country and a member of CARICOM, which has existed since
1973.
The unemployment rate was given as 11.1% for 2017.
Underemployment is widespread.
oil production
As of 2020, 13
oil fields have been discovered off the coast of Guyana with an
estimated combined volume of 5 to 10 billion barrels of oil. These
amounts are the world's largest newly discovered oil deposits for 20
years. Guyana has been exporting oil since 2020. Experts assume that
with this deposit Guyana can rise to become the fourth largest oil
producer in Latin America and produce more oil than Venezuela and
Mexico. The IMF expects gross domestic product to increase by around 30%
in 2020. The Irfaan Ali government granted ExxonMobil production
concessions for four oil fields in the so-called Stabroek Block: Liza
One, Liza Two, Payara and Yellowtail.
metrics
The gross
domestic product (GDP) for 2017 is estimated at 4.5 billion US dollars.
In purchasing power parity, GDP is $6.3 billion, or $9,100 per capita.
Real growth was 2.1%. Guyana is one of the poorest countries in Latin
America. Due to a planned expansion of oil production, however, the IMF
expects per capita income to double within the next five years. In 2021,
after the start of oil production, Guyana was one of the countries in
Latin America with the highest gross domestic product per capita.
currency
The Guyana Dollar is abbreviated GYD according to ISO
4217.
The Guyanese dollar cannot be used outside the country and
is subject to relatively high inflation. The smallest bill has a face
value of 20 GYD, the largest one of 5000 GYD. In August 2017, 1 EUR was
equivalent to 240.50 GYD. Credit cards are only accepted by larger shops
and banks. The account will be debited in US dollars.
state
budget
In 2017, the state budget included expenditure equivalent to
US$1,152 million, compared to income equivalent to US$939 million. This
results in a budget deficit of 5.9% of GDP.
Public debt was 52.3%
of GDP in 2017.
In 2006, the share of government expenditure (in
% of GDP) was as follows:
Health: 5.9%
Education: 8.3%
Military: 1.8%
The most important transport hub is the capital, Georgetown.
Connections with the interior are made by roads, footpaths, inland
waterways and small airports.
streets
The entire road network
comprised about 7,970 km in 2011, of which 509 km are paved. In Guyana,
traffic drives on the left. Runways were built from the endpoints of
river navigation to avoid rapids that were difficult to navigate. Other
roads run from the coast to the bauxite mining districts of Linden on
the Demerara River and Berbice on the Berbice River in eastern Guyana. A
paved road runs along the coastal plain from Corriverton on the banks of
the Corantijn, the border river with Suriname, via New Amsterdam and
Georgetown to Charity on the north coast. The larger rivers are crossed
by ferries.
rail transport
Guyana has a small rail network for
freight traffic.
shipping
The most important seaport is
Georgetown. Of the country's most important rivers, only the Demerara
River is navigable for ore ships right into the mining areas. The other
streams, the Essequibo and its main tributaries, the Rupununi, Potaro
(with the Kaieteur Falls), Mazaruni and Cuyuni, are also important
development arteries from the coast to the interior. However, they are
criss-crossed by numerous rapids and waterfalls. In the sugar
cane-growing region of the Coastal Plains, the canal network through the
sugar cane fields is used—rather than difficult-to-maintain roads—to
haul the cane crop to the factories on barges tied together and pulled
by tractors from shore.
air traffic
There are two
international airports, Cheddi Jagan International Airport, about 40 km
south of Georgetown and Eugene F. Correira International Airport, about
6 km east of the capital. In addition, there are numerous paved and
unpaved runways.
The culture is shaped by colonial history and by the two largest
ethnic groups: the Afro-Guyaners, descendants of former slaves from
Africa, and the Indian-Guyanese, descendants of contract workers brought
to the country from the former British India from 1838 onwards.
The writer Wilson Harris (1921-2018) also became internationally known
for his novels and essays.
public holidays
The largest
religious groups are reflected i.a. also reflected in the holidays,
Easter, Christmas, Holi and Diwali.
February 23 (1970) is a
national holiday, Republic Day and at the same time the annual carnival
day (Mashramani) with colorful costume parades, music bands and
decorated floats.
Guyana Chronicle, state daily newspaper (circulation approx. 40,000)
Stabroek News, independent weekly newspaper (circulation approx. 29,000)
Mirror, party newspaper PPP (circulation approx. 20,000)
New Nation,
party newspaper PNC (circulation approx. 12,500)
Catholic Standard,
weekly newspaper (circulation approx. 9000)
Guyana Broadcasting
Corporation (state)
private cable television channels with airtime
for government programming
Cricket is the most popular sport in Guyana and is considered a
national sport.[53] Guyana is one of the countries that, with other
Caribbean countries, forms the West Indies Cricket Team, one of the
'national teams' in international Test status cricket, the most
prestigious form of the sport. The West Indies Cricket Team has competed
in every Cricket World Cup, winning the first two editions in 1975 and
1979. They co-hosted with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada,
Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago of the
2007 Cricket World Cup.
Special Olympics Guyana was formed in the
late 1970's and has participated in the Special Olympics World Games
several times. The association has announced its participation in the
Special Olympics World Summer Games 2023 in Berlin. The delegation will
be looked after before the games as part of Neu-Isenburg's host town
program.