Guyana

Guyana means "The Land Of Many Waters". Guyana is bordered to the east by Suriname, to the south and southwest by Brazil, to the west by Venezuela, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Guyana achieved independence from Great Britain in 1966. At 83,000 square miles, Guyana is the third-smallest independent country on the mainland of South America (after Uruguay and Suriname). The population is approximately 770,000, of which 90% reside on the narrow coastal strip (approximately 10% of the total land area of Guyana). Guyana is one of the five non-Spanish speaking territories on the continent, English being the official language. More than 80% of Guyana is covered by forests making it one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. The main economic activities in Guyana are agriculture (production of rice and Demerara sugar), bauxite mining, gold mining, timber, shrimp fishing and minerals.