Background information

Area: 214, 970 km²

Capital: Georgetown

Location: Between 1° and 9° North Latitude and 57° and 61° West Longitude

Population: 779,417

Official language: English

Ethnic groups: African, Amerindian, Chinese, East Indian, European, Mixed, Portugese

Religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Baha'i Faith

Economy: Rice, sugar, cash crops, gold, diamonds, timber, rum, bauxite
 

Maps

Map of Guyana   (Printed by Guyana Geology and Mines Commisson)

Detailed maps    (multimap.com)

Map of Guyana   (Texas University)
 
 

Topography

Guyana is divided into four natural regions, the low coastal belt, the hilly sand and clay region, the interiour savannahs and the forested highlands.

The coastal zone is narrow and consist mainly of clay and is about 2 m below sea level. It is about 6% of the country's area and is the location where most of the administrative, agricultural, industrial and residential activities are concentrated.

The hilly sand and clay region is found just after the coastal belt, most of it is covered with vegetation, the region is known for its reserves in bauxite. This area takes up about 25% of the total area of the country and is sparsely populated, the major population centre is Linden a town of 26,000 people.

The interior savannahs account for almost 6% of the country's area and is vegetated mostly by grasses, scrub and low trees. The population there is largely made up of the Indigenous peoples living mostly in remote villages, with Lethem being the only town.

The forested highlands make up for approximately 63% of the country's landmass. There are four major mountain ranges in this region, Kanuku, Pakaraima, Imataka and Acarai. This region along with the savannahs are Pre Cambrian land forms which are very old. The soils under the forests are heavily weathered laterite and are covered by heavy forest cover.

Climate

Guyana sits on the equator, and so has a warm tropical climate, with two major seasons: rainy and dry. Rainfall varies throughout the country, in the coast it has an average of 2,300 mm anually, in the forested regions this goes as high as 3000mm, and in the savannah 1600 mm. The temperature varies between 34°C and 16°C, with the mountainous regions experiencing the lowest temperatures.