Where Even Is Guyana?

The first response from most of the people I told that I was going to Guyana fell along the lines of, “I thought that was in Africa?” It’s not! In fact, Guyana is in the northeast corner of South America. Nestled next to Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname, Guyana is a former British colony. Pronounce GUY-ann-ahh, it is often confused or conflated with other neighboring former colonies: Suriname (once Dutch Guyana), and French Guiana (which is still technically a protectorate).
 
Since I know we are all wondering, the name Guyana comes from a geological formation comprising the bedrock along the coast underneath these countries as well as parts of Venezuela and Brazil.
 
The country won independence in the 1960s amid some political strife, which resulted in a diaspora of Guyanese throughout the world. Today, the country is peaceful and stable and many of those who once fled are finding their way back either as visitors or repatriated residents.
 
Roughly the size of the U.K., Guyana is home to just under 800,000 people, 90% of whom live in a stretch along the coast that cover about 25% of the territory.
 

Initially settled to supply sugar to the British Empire (any bakers familiar with Demerara Sugar will recognize the name of the river that runs through the capital city), the coast has a decidedly Caribbean flair - noticeable in the music playing from bodegas on weekend nights, the ubiquity of rum, and the carved-wooden historical mansions. Yet, the sugar industry also brought indentured workers from India, China, and elsewhere so that both the face of Guyana and the flavor of its cuisine is diverse and shows influence from all these regions and cultures.

 

As you move away from the coast, evidence of human inhabitation is quickly subsumed by the green of the jungle. Forest, much of it primary, covers 87% of the land. Inland is referred to by locals as “The Interior.” It is a part of the Amazon basin, shared with Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Amerindian communities compose the population of the Interior, and these communities range in size from dozens to thousands. Connected mainly by packed dirt roads and river trails, life here is a stark contrast to life on the coast. 

 

Whether this is the first time you’ve heard of Guyana, or it has been on your bucket list for years, the richness of culture is history of the coastal region and the Interior merit attention and only by experiencing them both will you have a complete vision of this still-hidden gem of a country.