From spectacular waterfalls and unique wildlife to tales of the lost city of El Dorado, these are the most interesting facts about Guyana.
Fast facts
Official name: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Capital city: Georgetown
Population: 794,099
Area: 214,969 sq km
Major languages: English, Guyanese Creole
Time zone: UTC-4 (Atlantic Time Zone)
Fun facts about Guyana
1. Guyana is a small country in northern South America that borders Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela.
2. Guyana was originally inhabited by semi-nomadic Amerindian tribes – notably Arawaks and Caribs – who were mainly hunters and fishers.
3. Guyana was first sighted by Europeans in 1498 by Christopher Columbus.
4. During the following centuries, Guyana repeatedly changed hands between the European colonial powers of France, the Netherlands and Britain. In 1831 Guyana officially became a British colony until 1966 when it finally gained full independence.
5. In 1620, the Dutch first began importing slaves from the west coast of Africa into Guyana to work on sugar plantations.
6. Guyana’s flag is known as the ‘Golden Arrowhead’. The five colors represent different traits: green for the forests and fields that cover much of the country; white for its many rivers; red signifies zeal and the dynamic spirit of the nation; black signifies endurance.
See how Guyana’s flag compares to other South American flags.
7. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, Indian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Javanese indentured laborers were brought into Guyana to work on the plantations.
8. As a result, Guyana’s demographic profile is highly diverse:
- Indo-Guyanese (descendants of Indian indentured laborers): 39.8%,
- Afro-Guyanese (descendants of African slaves): 29.3%
- Mixed race: 19.9%,
- Indigenous: 10.5%
- Other (including Portuguese, Chinese, white): 0.5%
9. As such, Guyana is known as the ‘land of six peoples’.
10. Scotland was heavily involved in Guyana during the colonial era, and many place names south of Georgetown still have Scottish origins. These include Alness, Belladrum, Culcairn, Dunrobin, Glastullich, Inverness, Kintail, Kintyre, Rosehall and Tain.
11. Kaieteur Falls in Guyana is the world’s highest single-drop waterfall. The falls cascade over a 251m cliff and, depending on the time of year, are between 76m and 122m wide.
12. In fact, Guyana means ‘land of many waters’ as it has at least 300 waterfalls and multiple rivers. Other famous falls include the Orinduik Falls and Marshall Falls.
13. In 1978, 918 people committed mass suicide in Guyana – after following cult leader Jim Jones to the country – in what became known as the Jonestown Massacre.
14. A monumental oil discovery off Guyana’s coast has transformed its economy from one of the poorest in Latin America to the eleventh richest globally based on GDP. This has propelled Guyana to have one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, boasting a GDP per capita of $80,140 USD.
15. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America.
16. Nearly 85% of Guyana is covered in forest and 91% of the country is covered in rainforest.
17. The Guyanese jungles are part of the Guiana Shield, a vast region of northeast South America. It is independent of the Amazon and is a biodiversity hotspot that contains over 1,000 bird species and at least 269 species of amphibians.
18. Demerara sugar takes its name from the original Dutch colony of Demerara in Guyana. The Demerara River still flows through the region.
19. Guyana is home to many rare species, including colorful frogs, jaguars, and even a blue tarantula that was only discovered in 2017. In fact, that year, researchers discovered more than 30 new species.
20. Guyana ranks as the second-least densely populated country in South America and the sixth-least densely populated in the world, with around 4 people per square kilometer.
21. The most popular sport in Guyana is cricket. The country plays international cricket as a part of the West Indies cricket team and has produced several notable players.
22. The most famous is Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is widely considered one of the most prolific cricketers of all time. He is only the second West Indian to score over 10,000 Test runs (after Brian Lara) and the 8th highest-scoring Test batsman ever.
23. In the 16th century, famed British explorer Sir Walter Raleigh made two trips to Guyana and the surrounding region to search for El Dorado – the legendary city of gold and precious jewels.
24. El Dorado was never found, but Guyana does have a lot of gold. In 2020, Guyana exported $1.68 billion worth of gold, accounting for 33.5% of its exports.
25. Guyana is one of 27 countries that doesn’t have a single UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.