Georgetown is the capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is the retail, administrative, and financial services centre of the country, and the city accounts for a large portion of Guyana's GDP. The city recorded a population of 118,363 in the 2012 census.
The history of Guyana begins about 35,000 years ago with the arrival of humans coming from Eurasia. These migrants became the Carib and Arawak tribes, who met Alonso de Ojeda's first expedition from Spain in 1499 at the Essequibo River. In the ensuing colonial era, Guyana's government was defined by the successive policies of the French, Dutch, and British settlers. During the colonial period, Guyana's economy was focused on plantation agriculture, which initially depended on slave labor. Guyana saw major slave rebellions in 1763 and 1823. Following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa were freed, resulting in plantations contracting indentured workers, mainly from India. Eventually, these Indians joined forces with Afro-Guyanese to demand equal rights in government and society. After the Second World War, the British Empire pursued policy decolonization of its overseas territories, with independence granted to British Guiana on May 26, 1966. Following independence, Forbes Burnham rose to power, quickly becoming an authoritarian leader, pledging to bring socialism to Guyana. His power began to weaken following international attention brought to Guyana in wake of the Jonestown mass murder suicide in 1978.
The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, an American religious movement under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 918 people died at the settlement; at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma; and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations.
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Premier of British Guiana from 1964 to 1966, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 to 1980 and then as the first executive president of Guyana from 1980 to 1985. He is often regarded as a strongman who embraced his own version of socialism.
Port Kaituma is a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of Guyana. It became known internationally as a gateway village to the Peoples Temple settlement in nearby Jonestown. It has long been a hub for mining in the area.
Mount Ayanganna is a sandstone tepui in the Pakaraima Mountains of western Guyana, and located 85 kilometres (53 mi) east of Mount Roraima.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is the military of Guyana, established in 1965. It has military bases across the nation. The Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force is always the incumbent President of Guyana. The branches include the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
David Arthur Granger is a Guyanese former politician and retired military officer who served as the ninth president of Guyana from 2015 to 2020. A member of the People’s National Congress (PNC), he previously served as Commander of the Guyana Defence Force and as National Security Adviser from 1990 to 1992. He was leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Guyana from 2012 to 2015.
Frederick Kissoon is a Guyanese journalist who writes the daily "Freddie Kissoon Column", currently published on TBN Heat. He also hosts a talk show with Leonard Gildarie.
Roraima Airways is a regional airline of Guyana with its main hub at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport. Roraima Airways was founded in 1992, and is named after Mount Roraima.
Peter R. Ramsaroop is a Guyanese entrepreneur, author, and politician. On 2 October 2020 he was appointed by the President of the Cooperative of Guyana, His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali as Guyana's Chief Investment Officer and CEO of the Guyana Office for Investment, under the Office of the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
Margaret Ackman was a Guyanese politician and a founding member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).
Snap general elections were held in Guyana on 2 March 2020. They were called early after the government of President David A. Granger lost a vote of no confidence by a margin of 33–32 on 21 December 2018, the government having held a one-seat majority since the 2015 elections. However, one of its own MPs, Charrandas Persaud of the Alliance for Change (AFC), voted with the opposition. Granger announced on 25 September 2019 that the elections would be held on 2 March 2020.
Kenneth Wong is a Guyanese former cricketer. He played in 23 first-class and 17 List A matches for Guyana from 1992 to 1998. Wong played West Indies ‘B’ team wicketkeeper and batsman.
Clive Youlande Thomas is a Guyanese economics professor and political activist. He publishes on issues relating to development and poverty eradication in Guyana and the greater Caribbean region.
Lenox Ron O'Dell Shuman is a former Guyanese politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana and Member of Parliament from 2 September 2020 to 31 March 2023. He is also the founder of the Liberty and Justice Party.
Port Kaituma Airport is an airport serving the village of Port Kaituma, in the Barima-Waini Region of Guyana.
The Chief of Defence Staff is the professional head of the Guyana Defence Force. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the military of Guyana. The current Chief of Defence Staff is Brigadier Omar Khan.
Aubrey Norton is a Guyanese politician serving as Leader of the Opposition and as a member of the National Assembly since April 2022.
Christopher "Kit" A. Nascimento is a Guyanese journalist, rugby administrator and former politician who served in various ministerial roles under the premiership of Forbes Burnham, including Minister for Information and Minister of State for the Office of the Prime Minister. He was the spokesperson for the Government of Guyana in the United States in the aftermath of the Jonestown massacre.
