2023-12-11 23:55:00
(CNN Spanish) — Guyana is one of the smallest countries in South America located between Suriname and Venezuela, a nation with which it has had a controversy dating back to the mid-19th century and which is again in focus after the Government of Nicolás Maduro called a referendum to claim their rights over the Essequibo.
But this area corresponds to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, so an “annexation” by Venezuela, as Georgetown has called it, would pose an existential threat to the country.
This is what you should know about Guyana, a former British colony that inherited the dispute over the Essequibo after the Paris Arbitration Award granted sovereignty of the area to the United Kingdom in 1899, from which it became independent in 1966.
Population
Guyana has almost 800,000 inhabitants, according to the CIA’s The World Factbook. About 40% of the population is of East Indian descent, while 29% are of African descent, 19.9% are Coloured, 10.5% are Amerindian and 0.5% others.
The two largest ethnic groups in this country are the Afro-Guyanese – descendants of African slaves – and the Indo-Guyanese – descendants of Indian workers – who together make up about three quarters of the country’s population.
The predominant religion in Guyana is Protestant (34.8%). But a significant part of the population also identifies with Hinduism (24.8%) and Christianity (20.8%), the CIA records.
What language is spoken in Guyana?
English is the official language in the territory of around 197,000 km2, of which two thirds correspond to Essequibo, the area claimed by Venezuela.
However, due to the diversity of its population, Guyanese Creole, Caribbean and Arawak languages, and Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi, and Chinese are also spoken.
Having been a former British colony, it is the only English-speaking country in South America, according to the CIA World Factbook.
A country rich in oil
Three quarters of Guyana’s territory is covered in tropical rainforest, making it a country rich in natural resources. Its main economic source depends on the export of basic products such as sugar, gold, bauxite and rice, according to the International Trade Organization (WTO).
Although it is a country with high poverty rates, Guyana underwent a rapid transformation with the discovery in 2015 of oil off the coast of the Essequibo region.
The country is on the verge of surpassing the oil production of Venezuela, which has long relied on its own reserves, and is on track to become the world’s largest per capita oil producer.
Other data
During the 17th century, Guyana was a Dutch colony. The United Kingdom then occupied the territory for 200 years before granting independence in 1966. It became a republic in 1970.
The majority of its population is concentrated in the capital, Georgetown. Indigenous peoples continue to be separated from the social structure of the country, as was the case under British rule. However, their culture is recognized as an important element in Guyanese museum exhibitions and as an inspiration in local music and art.
Its official currency is the Guyanaese dollar. One US dollar is equivalent to almost 209 Guyanese dollars at the December 12 exchange rate.
With information from Abel Alvarado, Valentina González and Caitlin Hu
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