Place details
Place nameGuyana
Other namesCooperative Republic of Guyana, Co-operative Republic of Guyana, République du Guyana, Guiana, Guyane, GUY, GY, ISO328, GY00, British Guiana, Guyanese
Latitude5
Longitude-59
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Area was inhabited by Amerindians of whom little is known; sighted by Columbus 1498; settled by Dutch early 17th cen.; occupied by British during Napoleonic Wars; many Africans came as slaves; East Indians & Chinese came as indentured servants 19th cen.; official language is English, though Hindi, Urdu & local dialects are also spoken.