Where the @*$% is Guyana?!?!

Guess what!  It's not in Africa!  I was surprised too.

Guyana is on the northern coast of South America.  Right here:

It's bordered by Venezuela to the west, Brazil to the south, Suriname to the East, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north.  Culturally, it's more caribbean than latino.  Guyana is also the only English speaking country in South America.

Here are some fun facts about Guyana for you:

1) The population of Guyana is about 750,000 people with 90% of the population located within 10-40 miles of the Atlantic Coast (roughly 10% of the total land area)

2) Most Guyanese citizens are either of Indian decent (Indo-guyanese), African decent (Afro-guyanese), or natives, which results in a very diverse culture (and lots of holidays/festivals!)

3) Guyana is one of a handful of countries that celebrate the hindu festival of colors known as Holi or Phagwah.  They all get together and dowse each other with colored powder and water.  It looks like so much fun!

4) The country is divided into 10 regions (more or less like our states) and has 5 distinct geographic areas: the marshy plain along the Atlantic coast, the white sand belt beyond that, the rainforest to the south, the desert savannah in the south west, and the interior lowlands.  Most of the country is still undeveloped and it is not uncommon to require a canoe or boat to reach many of the inland villages.

5) Guyana is predominantly Christian, though about 28% of the population is Hindu.

6) Guyana's independence day, known as Mashramani, reminds me of Mardi Gras.  What do you think?

7) Guyana is home to Jonestown, the site of the largest ever mass suicide, which resulted in the deaths of 900 cult followers.  Ever heard someone say "don't drink the kool-ade?"  This is where is started, folks.

8) Guyana has a wide variety of animal species including at least 8 primate species and several varieties of cockroach, many of which can fly.

9) Guyana is about the size of Idaho, but has half the amount of people.  Honestly, Fort Worth, Texas has a larger population than Guyana.  New York City's population is more than TEN TIMES larger.

10) Guyana means land of many waters and was named for the many rivers that run through it.  Roughly 9% of the country's land area is water.  It has so many rivers that empty into the Atlantic that most of the coastal waters are brown from sediment.  The cleanest water to swim in is in the rivers inland in the country.  There are also several fantastic waterfalls, like this one, Kaiteur Falls: 

So there you have it!  Ten fun facts about my home for the next 27 months!  

Peace!