The Guianas
Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana
Location: Northeast coast of South
America
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All three were first
colonized in the
1600s.
None use Spanish or
Portuguese as their
official language
One is a dependency
of France, the other
two only achieved
independence in the
second part of the
20th century
Guianas: What makes them
different?
“Guiana” comes from a native term for
land of the many waters
 Physically, the region consists of a shield
highland drained by rivers onto an alluvial
plain
 Besides these countries, parts of Brazil
and Venezuela have also carried the
name, “Guiana”
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Formerly British
Guiana
Capital: Georgetown
3 British colonies
joined together in
1831
After slavery was
abolished, indentured
servants were
brought in from
Europe and Asia
90% of the people
live on the coastal
strip
Guyana

Total population
770,000
◦
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Indo-Guyanese-43.5%
Afro-Guyanese-30.2%
Mixed-16.7%
Native groups 10%
Economy
◦ Agriculture-mostly sugar
◦ Mining-bauxite
Languages-English and
Creole
 Religions

◦ Christian 57%
◦ Hindu 23%
◦ Islamic 7.3%
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Formerly Dutch Guiana
Capital: Paramaribo
Acquired in trade 1667
for a colony called “New
Amsterdam”
After slavery was
abolished in the 1870s,
the Dutch also
imported contract
laborers from the Dutch
East Indies and India
Independent in 1975
Suriname

Relations between
Suriname and the
Netherlands have
deteriorated some since
independence
◦ Desi Bouterse
dictatorship during the
1980s

Population around
500,000
◦ 27% Indian
◦ 18% Creole (Mixed
African/Dutch descent)
◦ 15% Javanese
◦ 15% Maroons
Suriname

Economy
◦ Mining--Bauxite
◦ Agriculture—Rice
bananas
◦ Ecotourism
 Large rainforest

Religion
◦ No dominant religion
 Divided between
Christianity, Hinduism
and Islam
◦ 20% Islamic minority is
highest of any nonMuslim country
Suriname

Languages
◦ 60% speak Dutch as
first language
◦ Most others speak it as
well
◦ Other languages:
Sranan Tongo-a Creole,
Hindi, Javanese
◦ Some have proposed
choosing English to
increase ties to the
Caribbean
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Overseas
Department of
France
Capital: Cayenne
Population-about
221,000
◦ Majority are Creole
(Mixed
African/French) 6070%
◦ 14% European
◦ 20% are immigrants
French Guiana

Economy
◦ Dependent on French
subsidies
◦ Fishing
◦ Space Center at
Kourou
◦ Agriculture is
relatively
undeveloped
 Sugar and bananas
French Space Program

Generic term for
escaped slaves in
the Americas
◦ Often first generation
◦ Either kept their
African Language or
mixed into a Creole
◦ Kept their African
customs
◦ Subsistence
economies
Maroons