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Guyana Facts & Worksheets

Guyana is a country located on the northern mainland of South America, between Venezuela, Suriname, and Brazil.

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Guyana is a country located on the northern mainland of South America, between Venezuela, Suriname, and Brazil. It is considered part of the Caribbean region due to its strong cultural and historical ties to the Caribbean community. Guyana is home to nearly 1 million people in an area of 83,000 square miles.

See the fact file below for more information on the Guyana or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Guyana worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY OF GUYANA

  • The first inhabitants of Guyana likely entered the area in the 1st millennium BCE, with some of the earliest settlers being groups of Arawak, Carib, and Warao.
  • These early settlers were agricultural communities who relied on hunting and farming to survive.
  • The first European to sight the Guyana coast was Christopher Columbus in 1498, but it was the Dutch who first set up there.
  • In 1616 the Dutch established the first European settlement in the form of a trading post with the goal of trading with the indigenous people in the area.
  • Dutch sovereignty of the area was recognized officially by the Treaty of Munster in 1648.
  • Guyana was impacted by the slave trade as the Dutch imported slaves from West Africa to cultivate sugarcane.
  • Power struggles between the Dutch, French, and British happened throughout the 1700s, and by 1831 several small colonies in the area were unified as British Guiana.
  • A boom due to the discovery of gold in 1879 helped the economy in Guyana.
  • In 1891, work began on shifting the balance of power in favor or
    locally elected officials.
  • The Great Depression in the 1930s brought a lot of economic hardship to Guyana and impacted its working class the most due to low prices on their most valuable resources – sugar, rice and bauxite.
  • Guyana’s political history was complicated between 1953 and 1966 as this marked the transition to independence.
  • Guyana became an independent country on May 26, 1966.
  • The 1980s and 1990s saw their share of difficulties, but efforts have been made by the U.N to settle boundary issues, provide economic stability, and strengthen relations.

ECONOMY AND CULTURE OF GUYANA

  • The main economic activities in Guyana include agriculture, mining, and the sugar industry.
  • Government control of the economy was reduced with the introduction of a privatization program carried out in the 1990s.
  • Guyana continues to struggle with a shortage of skilled labor, an unstable infrastructure, and external debt, despite securing foreign direct investment in many of their sectors.
  • Food crops from Guyana include cassava, corn, bananas, citrus fruits, and of course sugarcane and rice.
  • Guyana is one of the world’s largest producers of bauxite.
  • The country’s major trading partners are the U.S, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.K, Canada, China, Suriname, and Germany, and they export mainly sugar, gold, rice, and bauxite.
  • The culture in Guyana is similar to Caribbean culture due to its ties to the British Empire and the West Indies.
  • Guyana is the only nation in South America where English is the official language, although Guyanese Creole is also spoken.
  • Guyana’s musical traditions are a mix of African, Indian, European,
    and Latin infusions.
  • The country’s cuisine blends African, Creole, East Indian, Portuguese, and a few other ethnic influences; some popular dishes include cassava bread, metemgee, and curries.
  • Major sports in Guyana are cricket and football, and Guyana plays as
    part of the West Indies team internationally.

GEOGRAPHY AND WILDLIFE OF GUYANA

  • Guyana is comprised of three main geographic zones: the coastal plain, the white sand belt, and the interior highlands.
  • The highest point in Guyana is Mount Roraima, which is 9,301 feet, and its lowest point is the Caribbean Sea.
  • Guyana is a water-rich country with several rivers that empty into the Atlantic Ocean as well as many waterfalls.
  • Due to its proximity to the equator, Guyana has a tropical climate with hot temperatures that do not vary throughout the year.
  • Guyana has one of the largest unspoiled rainforests in South America, and some parts of it are not accessible by humans.
  • In 2012, Guyana received a $45 million reward from Norway due to the country’s extensive efforts to preserve and protect the rainforests.
  • Guyana contains several different habitats and more than 80% of the country is covered by forests.
  • The country has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, with 1,168 vertebrate species, 814 bird species, and an extremely rich and diverse biology.
  • Some animals you might see in Guyana include jaguars, tapirs, bush dogs, giant anteaters, and saki monkeys, as well as over 400 species of birds, and countless insects and arachnids – many of which are still officially undiscovered or unnamed.

Guyana Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Guyana across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Guyana worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Guyana which is a country located on the northern mainland of South America, between Venezuela, Suriname, and Brazil. It is considered part of the Caribbean region due to its strong cultural and historical ties to the Caribbean community. Guyana is home to nearly 1 million people in an area of 83,000 square miles.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Guyana Facts
  • The Ruimveldt Riots
  • Guyana Wordsearch
  • Notable Guyanese People
  • Indigenous Tribes of Guyana
  • Guyana on the Map
  • Traditional Dishes
  • Guyana Crossword
  • World Heritage Site Fact File
  • Animal Crossing
  • Create a Coat of Arms

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Link will appear as Guyana Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 20, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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