Guyana: Map & History

History

What is now Guyana has been inhabited for millennia. Nine Indigenous tribes reside in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Macushi, Patamona, Lokono, Kalina, Wapishana, Pemon, Akawaio, and Warao. Many of these peoples practised shifting agriculture alongside hunting. Historians speculate that the Lokono and Kalina originated in the South American hinterland and migrated northward, first to the present-day Guianas and then to the Caribbean islands. The Lokono, mainly cultivators, hunters, and fishermen, migrated to the Caribbean islands before the Kalina and settled throughout the region.

Government and politics

The politics of Guyana takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, in which the president of Guyana is both head of state and head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and the government. Legislative power is vested in both the president and the National Assembly of Guyana. Historically, politics is a source of tension in the country, and violent riots have often broken out during elections.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the political landscape was dominated by the People's National Congress.

In 1992, the first constitutional elections were overseen by former United States president Jimmy Carter, and the People's Progressive Party led the country until 2015.

Economy

The main economic activities in Guyana are agriculture (rice and Demerara sugar), bauxite and gold mining, timber, seafood, minerals, crude oil and natural gas. Guyana's gold production in 2015 is 14 tonnes (14 long tons; 15 short tons).

Offshore oil production, which began in 2019, has transformed Guyana's economy. According to World Bank estimates, real GDP grew by 43.8% in 2024 and 15.4% in 2025. Oil production reached 261.1 million barrels in 2025, while the non-oil economy grew by 14.3%, supported by agriculture, manufacturing, construction and public investment. The country's Natural Resource Fund held US$3.25 billion at the end of 2025. The World Bank identifies overheating, falling oil prices and reduced competitiveness in non-oil sectors among the principal economic risks.

Culture

Guyana's culture is very similar to that of the English-speaking Caribbean, and has historically been tied to the English-speaking Caribbean as part of the British Empire when it became a possession in the nineteenth century.

The current Guyanese culture began to develop when immigrants (some enslaved, some coerced, others coming of their own accord) adapted and converged with the dominant British culture. Slavery eradicated much of the distinction between differing African cultures as they were supplanted by British culture, which encouraged the adoption of Christianity and the values of British colonists; this laid the foundations of today's Afro-Guyanese culture.