59 Interesting Facts about Guyana that You Missed Before
Have you ever visited Guyana? Guyana, a South American country, is blessed with beautiful nature, natural resources, and unique wildlife. How many interesting facts about Guyana, you know? There are many unrevealed secrets about the country, making it the most offbeat and adventurous land—wondering how to know about them? Just read on!
Quick Facts and Information about Guyana
Official Name: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Capital City: Georgetown
Population: 750,204
Area: 214,969 sq km
Major Languages: English, Guyanese Creole
Time Zone: UTC-4 (Atlantic Time Zone)
(Source: CIA World Fact Book)
59 Interesting Facts about Guyana You Should Know
What is Guyana Known for?
No#1: World’s largest single drop waterfall
What is Guyana Famous for?
“Kaieteur Falls” is situated in Kaieteur National Park, which has the world’s largest single-drop waterfall, and its height is 741 feet/226 meters.
No#2: English as native language
English is the only official language of Guyana, but most of them use Guyanese Creole to speak with each other.
No#3: 164th populated country
In 2020, Guyana had only 786,552 people, and it ranks 164 positions as a populated country.
Fun Facts about Guyana
No#5: Indian-African
Almost half of the Guyanese people are of India’s origin, while 36% of inhabitants are of African descent.
No#6: Religion
63% of Guyanese are from the Christian religion, 24.8% are Hindus, and 12% are Muslim.
No#7: National motto
“One People, One Nation, One Destiny” is the national motto of Guyana, which means the unity of Guyana’s various races and areas.
No#8: 70% rain forests
Guyana is known as one of the world’s largest rain forests countries, which covers 70% rain forests.
No#9: Essequibo River
The longest river in the country is “Essequibo River,” which is 1,014 km long, and it is also the largest river in between the Amazon and the Orinoco.
No#10: “Land of many waters”
Guyana is known as the “land of many waters” since several streams, rivers, and creeks stream throughout its length and across its breath.
No#11: Four Rivers
- Essequibo
- Berbice
- Courantyne
- Demerara
No#12:Commonwealth member
Guyana is the only commonwealth member from South America since 1970.
No#13: Open-pit gold mine
In Guyana, there is an open-pit gold mine named “Omai Gold Mine,” which is known as one of the largest open-pit gold mines in South America, and it produces around 4 million ounces of gold from 1992 to 2006.
No#14: Third-smallest sovereign state
Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state of South America, and it is only 215,000 square kilometers.
No#15: South American yet Caribbean
Though Guyana is a part of South America, most Guyanese people’s lifestyle is similar to the Caribbean.
No#16: 6 ethnic groups
- East Indian
- Indigenous
- Portuguese
- African
- Chinese
- European
No#17: “Mashramani”
Guyanese people’s main festival is “Mashramani,” and there are other festivals including Paghwa, Divali, Easter-International Food and Drink Fest, and Independence Day.
No#18: Cricket is the national sport
Though Guyana doesn’t have any national cricket team, their national sport is cricket.
No#19: 143-feet-tall wooden church
Guyana has one of the tallest wooden churches globally, which is 143-feet-tall, and Sir Arthur Blomfield designed this church in 1892.
No#20: Mount Roraima
Guyana’s highest point is “Mount Roraima,” which is 9,094 feet high and 9 miles long.
No#21: Fishing and farming
Fishing and farming is the primary source of income for Guyanese people who live in the coastal zone.
No#22: High suicide rate
Several studies found that Guyana ranked top 5 positions per capita for several years in high suicide rates globally.
No#23: Death of 909 people
In 1978, about 909 Guyanese people died at Jonestown in murder-suicides.
No#24: Water-related diseases
Every year an increased number of people get affected by water-related and food consumption diseases though 90% can drink safe drinking water.
No#25: City of wooden houses
Georgetown is known as the “City of Wooden Houses,” where you will find the most-admired and some of the largest wooden structures.
No#26: Locally produced foods
Guyanese people made most foods locally, including rice, sugar, coffee, cocoa, cooking oils, fish, etc.
No#27: Main commercial activity
Rum and sugar are the two most export items in Guyana — 85% of annual sugar output is exported by Guyana worldwide.
No#28: Arranged marriages
Since a big proportion of Hindus and Muslims in Guyana, arranged marriage is quite common.
No#29: 85.64% literacy rate
Guyana’s literacy rate for adults is 85.64%, while 85.03% of women are literate, and 86.31% of men are literate.
No#30: Two rainy seasons
In Guyana, there are two monsoon seasons — May-August & November –January. That’s why flash floods are common for Guyanese people.
Facts about Guyana South America
No#31: No railways
Guyana doesn’t have any railways for both domestic and international purposes due to uneconomical conditions.
No#32: Mashramani
The biggest festival for Guyanese people is the “Guyanese,” which is celebrated as a colorful festival for becoming a Republic in 1970.
Guyana Facts about Culture
No#33: Beautiful crafts
Some exceptional crafts can be found in Guyana, like sun hats, paintings, costume jewelry, wallets, etc.
No#34: Most Beautiful Spots
- Surama
- Kanuku Mountains
- Shell Beach
- Rewa
- Iwokrama Rainforest
No#35: Traditional dresses
Facts about Guyanese Nen
The traditional dress for males is dashikis & turbans and for females are wraps & turbans.
No#36: Costly lifestyle
The cost of living in Guyana is quite expensive since most of the items are imported from other countries.
No#37: Most popular foods
- Guyana pepperpot
- Various curries
- Metamgee
- Tamarind Balls
- Awara Broth
No#38: Dark rum
“Dark rum” is one of Guyana’s most popular drinks, which is created from caramelized molasses or sugar.
No#39: National beer
Guyana’s national beer is Banks Beer —it has a fresh aroma with moderate level alcohol content.
No#40: Homosexuality is unlawful
According to Criminal Law (Offences) Act 1893 of Guyana, homosexuality is illegal for the country.
No#41: 784 confirmed species
According to Wikipedia, there are more than 1000 species and mammals in Guyana, while confirmed species are 784.
No#42: 70% of Guyana is uninhabited
Since most of Guyana’s places are impenetrable rainforests, approximately 70% of Guyana is uninhabited, where nobody lives.
No#43: Second-poorest country
In South America, Guyana is the second-poorest country with an average income per person US$4,000.
No#44: Oil boom
In 2019, more than 8 billion barrels were discovered in Guyana, and it is becoming a major oil producer in the future.
No#45: 30 New species
Until 2017, around 30 new species were found, which are pretty rare, like blue tarantulas, colorful frogs, jaguars, etc.
No#46: Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was born in Unity Village, Guyana, known as one of the most prolific cricketers of all time.
No#47: Fourth longest floating bridge
“Demerara Harbor Bridge” is the world’s fourth-longest floating bridge, which is 6,074 feet long, and steel pontoons are used to make the bridge.
No#48: Cheapest Transport
Minibusses are the cheapest option for traveling from one place to another in Guyana
No#49: People like Chinese food
In Guyana, most Guyanese people enjoy eating Chinese foods like lo mein and chow mein, which is very common in most restaurants.
No#50: 69.93 years life expectancy
According to World Bank, the life expectancy of Guyanese people is 69.93 years.
No#51: Host of the world cup
In the 2007 world cup, Guyana hosted eight international cricket matches, which were held in March and April 2007.
No#52: 1,000 various plants & trees
According to ITTO, there are more than 1000 tree species in the Guyana forest, while approximately 6409 fauna were found in various places of Guyana.
No#53: Left-hand traffic
Like Japanese people, there are left-hand traffics in Guyana.
No#54: 40 hours work week
In Guyana, the average workweek for most Guyanese people is approximately 40 hours.
No#55: HIV / AIDS as deadly disease
1.2% of Guyanese inhabitants get infected by HIV / AIDS, while 16% of sex workers get affected by this fatal disease.
No#56: Most popular cities
- Georgetown
- Bartica
- New Amsterdam
- Anna Regina
No#57: Alcohol consumption
Each adult of Guyana drinks 8.1 liters of various alcohols on average annually, including spirits, beer, wines, and other beverages.
No#58: Death of 109 people
Around 109 Guyanese inhabitants died due to road accidents in 2013.
No#59: $3 per day income
Around 28.3% of Guyanese people earn lower than $3 per day to earn their livelihood.
Isn’t it fun yet exciting to know interesting facts about Guyana? The nation is endued with several natural resources and mixed with a wide variety of cultures. Happy reading!
