GUYANA

officially Co-operative Republic of Guyana country located in the northeastern corner of South America. It is bordered by Venezuela to the west, Brazil to the southwest and south, Suriname (along the Courantyne River) to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Its total area of 83,000 square miles (215,000 square kilometres) is largely uninhabited, and most of the country's population occupies the narrow coastal strip. The capital and chief port is Georgetown. Present-day Guyana reflects its British colonial past and its reactions to that past. It is the only English-speaking country of South America. Since independence in 1966, Guyana's chief economic assetsits sugarcane plantations and bauxite industryhave come under government control, as has most of the country's commerce. Guyana's populace is mainly of colonial origin, although a small number of aboriginal Indians are scattered throughout the forested interior. The more numerous coastal peoples are chiefly descendants of slaves from Africa and indentured workers from India, who were originally imported to work the coastal sugarcane plantations. Racial problems between the latter two groups have played a disruptive role in Guyanaese society. Politically, Guyana has moved on a steady course toward socialism from the time of independence, although after the death of the first prime minister, Forbes Burnham, in 1985, ties with Western powers were strengthened. It is a member of the Commonwealth. officially Co-operative Republic of Guyana, formerly (until 1966) British Guiana republic of northeastern South America, covering an area of 83,044 square miles (215,083 square km). The capital is Georgetown. Guyana's maximum length from north to south is about 500 miles (800 km), and its maximum width from east to west is about 285 miles (460 km). It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the north, Suriname on the east, Brazil on the south and southwest, and Venezuela on the west. Unresolved border disputes remained with Venezuela and Suriname in the late 20th century. The 1990 population was estimated at 756,000. Additional reading Geography General information can be found in William B. Mitchell et al., Area Handbook for Guyana (1969), dated but still useful; K.F.S. King, Land and People in Guyana (1968); and Francis Chambers (comp.), Guyana (1989), an annotated bibliography. For statistical information, see the Statistical Digest (annual). For natural resources, see Vincent Roth (comp.), Handbook of Natural Resources of British Guiana (1946), and Notes and Observations on Animal Life in British Guiana, 19071941: A Popular Guide to Colonial Mammalia (1941); and D.B. Fanshawe, The Vegetation of British Guiana, a Preliminary Review (1952). An early botanical study is Walter E. Roth (trans. and ed.), Richard Schomburgk's Travels in British Guiana, 18401844, 2 vol. (192223; originally published in German, 184748). Studies of the indigenous population include Colin Henfrey, A Gentle People: A Journey Among the Indian Tribes of Guiana (1964; U.S. title, Through Indian Eyes, 1965), which also provides a lively travel account; Mary Noel Menezes, British Policy Towards the Amerindians in British Guiana, 18041873 (1977); and Andrew Sanders, The Powerless People: An Analysis of the Amerindians of the Corentyne River (1987). Dwarka Nath, A History of Indians in Guyana, 2nd rev. ed. (1970), examines the East Indian population. Raymond T. Smith, British Guiana (1962, reprinted 1980), is an outstanding sociological survey, and The Negro Family in British Guiana (1962, reissued 1971), is an anthropological classic. Economic aspects of the sugar industry are dealt with in Alan H. Adamson, Sugar Without Slaves: The Political Economy of Guyana (1972), on the 19th century; Jay R. Mandle, The Plantation Economy: Population and Economic Change in Guyana, 18381960 (1973); Walter Rodney, A History of the Guyanese Working People, 18811905 (1981); and Clive Y. Thomas, Plantations, Peasants, and State: A Study of the Mode of Sugar Production in Guyana (1984). Views of the country's political situation are presented in Leo A. Despres, Cultural Pluralism and Nationalist Politics in British Guiana (1967); Jacqueline Anne Braveboy-Wagner, The Venezuela-Guyana Border Dispute: Britain's Colonial Legacy in Latin America (1984); Henry B. Jeffrey and Colin Baber, Guyana: Politics, Economics, and Society: Beyond the Burnham Era (1986); and Chaitram Singh, Guyana: Politics in a Plantation Society (1988), a survey of postindependence politics. Bonham C. Richardson History An early history of Guyana is C.A. Harris and J.A.J. De Villiers (comps.), Storm van's Gravesande: The Rise of British Guiana, trans. from Dutch, 2 vol. (1911, reprinted 1967), extracts from his dispatches written between 1738 and 1772. Allan Young, The Approaches to Local Self-Government in British Guiana (1958), deals mainly with the 19th century. Brian L. Moore, Race, Power, and Social Segmentation in Colonial Society: Guyana After Slavery, 18381891 (1987), is a history of race relations. Thomas J. Spinner, Jr., A Political and Social History of Guyana, 19451983 (1984), provides an overview of recent events. Cheddi Jagan, The West on Trial: The Fight for Guyana's Freedom, rev. ed. (1972, reissued 1980), is a vivid account of preindependence turmoil by a former prime minister. Latin American Bureau, Guyana: Fraudulent Revolution (1984), takes a closer look at Burnham's government. Bonham C. Richardson The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica Cultural life Postindependence Guyanese culture still bears the imprint of its colonial heritage. Guyanese were taught to respect and covet European values during the colonial era, and this has not changed despite government exhortation. Yet ethnic identity continues to be important, with daily life centring around ethnic and family groups; the mother- and grandmother-dominated family among blacks differs from the father-oriented East Indian family. Men of both groups often commute long distances to work along the coastal highway. Daily dress normally does not distinguish one group from another. Amerindian culture, which remains uninfluenced by national politics, is recognized as an important element in Guyanese museum displays and as an inspiration in local music and painting. Cultural institutions are concentrated in Georgetown, including the Guyana Museum, which includes the Guyana Zoo, with its impressive collection of animals from northern South America. Guyanese writers have made noteworthy contributions to literature; the works of Wilson Harris, A.J. Seymour, and Walter Rodney are among the foremost. Much recreational activity is based upon the festivities that accompany Hindu, Muslim, and Christian holidays. The Guyanese share the passion for cricket that is prevalent throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. The government has taken nearly complete control over local news media, including the one radio station and the single daily newspaper. Objections against censorship have been on the rise from opposing political and church groups. In 1988 Guyana's first television station was established under government control.