Guyana

Introduction

"Guyana, a country of exceptional natural beauty, is a splendid combination of the Caribbean and South America, with fascinating touches of a sometimes turbulent past. Perched on the north-east corner of the South American continent, Guyana stretches 450 miles from its long Atlantic coastline into dense equatorial forest and the broad savannah of the Rupununi.

Although Guyana is a former British colony and the only English speaking country in South America, very few people are familiar with this fascinating and diverse country. Guyana means 'Land of Many Waters' in Amerindian and it justifies it's name with over 956 miles of navigable river.

The capital, Georgetown,is positioned at the mouth of the famous Demerara River (yes, that's where your sugar  comes from) at the heart of a tropical coastal strip, which is rich with coconut palms, sugar, and banana plantations and has a definite Caribbean atmosphere. "

The country is divided into 10 regions, as you can see from the map.

Population

Guyana has a rather disperse population of under 750,000 in a country of 214,970 km². To put this in perspective, the UK is 244,820 km² with a population of 62,218,761. The population density  in England is 460 people for every square kilometre.

In Guyana it is just over 3. 

Having said this, the population is not evenly distributed; 90% live along the narrow coastal strip, with a select few living in the interior.

This is where I will be living; I have been placed in the Paramakatoi Secondary School which is region 8, the (purple) Potaro-Siparuni region on the map.

Below is a map which was made by Mark, another volunteer. It shows all the projects in Guyana and which volunteers are working there, as well as our desk officers.