by Denise Calaman

Created on: September 22, 2009   Last Updated: November 17, 2010

The beautiful South American country of Guyana is pristine and wild; today there are many parts of Guyana that remain untouched by human hands. Over 70% of Guyana's habitat remains unexplored. Guyana is also a country that is full of promise. Economically and socially the country is expanding rapidly.  Guyana is the third smallest in South America with a total area of only 83,000 square miles. It is located just north of the equator, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, situated between Venezuela to the west and Suriname to the east. Brazil borders Guyana to the south.

Guyana has three distinct geographic regions. It has a coastal plain, a savannah in the south and green, and rolling highlands that sprawl through the rest of the country. The entire country of Guyana has a tropical climate remaining hot and humid year round cooled only occasionally by Northeastern Trade Winds.

Ameriindians who first inhabited the area of Guyana named the region "Guyana" which means "Land of many waters". This name was certainly appropriate. Guyana is filled with lush tropical rainforests and waterfalls. Over 80% of the country is rainforest habitat. Guyana has one of the largest unspoiled rainforests in South America and it is one of a few countries with the largest numbers of endemic species in the world. Guyana is host to over 8,000 different plant species and over half of those are endemic (found nowhere else in the world). Proudly, Guyana recently established the largest community owned conservation area in the world.

Guyana was first settled not by Spaniards like most of South America but by Dutch colonists. Guyana was settled by the Dutch in 1616 but came into British possession in 1815. Guyana became a British colony in 1831 and was known as British Guyana. On May 26, 1966 Guyana gained its independence from Great Britain and has been ruled by a parliamentary system ever since. Guyana officially became a republic with the British Commonwealth in 1970. Today the official name of Guyana is the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Prime Minister Samuel A. Hinds lives and works in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city.

Guyana is much like the United States in that it is a melting pot of many cultures. Forty three percent of Guyanese consider themselves Ameriindian, while 30% are black (Afro-Ameriindian). Other ethnic groups include, Hindus, and mixed Europeans. Christians make up the biggest religious group in Guyana with 57% of residents practicing

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