 Georgetown,
estimated population 250,000 (1998), is the capital and
largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica
region. It is situated on the Atlantic coast at the mouth
of the Demerara River and is nicknamed 'Garden
City of the Caribbean.'
Georgetown
is located at 6°50' North, 58°12' West (6.8333, -58.2).
History
Georgetown
was originally called Stabroek when the Dutch controlled
the region. The settlement gained permanence during a period
of French control when the first paved street, Brickdam,
was built. It was renamed Georgetown in 1812 in honour of
King George III, after the British occupied the colony during
the Napoleonic Wars, and gained official city status on
Aug 24, 1842 during the reign of Queen Victoria. In 1945
a large fire (The Great Fire) broke out in the city causing
widespread damage.
Georgetown
is laid out in a N-S, E-W grid, interlaced with canals protected
by kokers built by the Dutch and later the British that
provide drainage to a city that lies 13 feet below high-tide
level. A long sea wall helps prevent flooding. The city
has an abundance of tree-lined streets and avenues and contains
many wooden colonial buildings and markets.
Most
of the main buildings are centred around the western region
of the town. Around the western-central area is Independence
Square and Promenade Gardens, the Walter Roth Museum of
Anthropology, the National Library (built by Andrew Carnegie),
the Bank of Guyana, the Museum of Guyana and State House
(built 1852) where the President resides, and St. George's
Anglican Cathedral. St. George's was built out of wood to
designs by Sir Arthur Bromfield and was completed in 1899.
It is 44 meters high and is generally regarded as the tallest
wooden church in the world. A large chandelier, a gift from
Queen Victoria hangs prominently within. There are many
churches, mosques and mandirs in Georgetown.
To the
south of this region is where the neo-Gothic Town Hall (1889)
is to be found, as well as Victoria Law Courts (1887), Parliament
Building, the large Stabroek Market (1792) containing the
prominent cast-iron clock tower that dominates the city
sky line, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, City Engineer House,
the Magistrate's Court, St. Andrew's Kirk (18th century)
and Independence Arch.
The
northern area of the city near the Atlantic coast contains
Fort William Frederick, a park and the Umana Yana, a conical
thatched building built by Wai-Wai Amerindians using traditional
techniques. It was built for the 1972 Non-Aligned Foreign
Ministers Conference.
Georgetown
is the seat of the University of Georgetown and the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. The University of Guyana
is located in Turkeyen, on the city's outskirts.
Travel
in Georgetown
Georgetown
is served by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, 41
km south of the city. International flights/connections
from Toronto, New York, Miami, London, Bridgetown, Port
of Spain and Paramaribo are routine. There is also a regular
coach service between Georgetown and Boa Vista in Brasil,
and ready travel to Paramaribo, Suriname via a ferry crossing
on the Courantyne River.
There
are many hotels in the city, including: Blue Wave Apartments,
Brandsville's Apartments, Campala Hotel, Cara Inn, Cara
Lodge, Cara Suites, Florentine's Hotel, Friends Apartment
Hotel, Grand Coastal Hotels (two locations), Hotel Arizante,
Hotel Glow, Hotel Tower, Le Méridien Pegasus Hotel, Main
Street Plaza, New Tropicana Hotel, Plaza Hotel, Rima Guest
House and Woodbine International Hotel.
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