Guyana, the only English-speaking country
in South America, was formerly known as
British Guiana before Independence in 1966. The country
was proclaimed a Republic within the British Commonwealth
of Nations in 1970.
Guyana is derived from an Amerindian word meaning 'land of many waters'. A network of rivers disects the highlands, rain forest and savannahs south of the coastal region where the Kaieteur Falls plunges 226 metres over an escarpment on the the Potaro River in a single drop.
A diverse biota is associated with the rain forest. The Oliver Ridley, an endangered turtle, nests on the Atlantic Coast and in the rivers of the Rupununi Savannah are found the Giant River Otter and the world's largest freshwater fish... More
