The Mysterious Guyanas Region

The Guiana’s are located on the north central coast of South America and encompass a sprawling 180000 square miles of the most spectacular topography divided among the independent nations of Guyana and Suriname and the French protectorate, French Guiana. The three regions have a great many similarities but there are also a few marked differences. Georgetown is the laid back capital of the English speaking Guiana’s people. It’s a typically Caribbean region with a happy go lucky populace, though the town itself appears a bit seedy. The spectacular Kaieteur Falls are a highlight of the region and can be visited by plane. The Dutch speaking Surinam is a tiny country that is sandwiched between Guiana on the west and French Guiana on the east. On the south it is buttressed by gigantic Brazil. Being quite close to the equator it is hot for most part of the year with very little variation in temperature. For tourists the highlight of a visit to Surinam is a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Central Surinam Nature Reserve famed for its bio-diversity. Surinam is the only country in South America to have a sizeable Muslim population, beside some Jewish presence. French Guiana is a French overseas territory and is as such governed like a French province, with the Euro being that national currency. Infamous in the past for its French penal colonies French Guiana is opening to tourism gradually, especially eco-tourism. The island city of Cayenne is the capital of this territory and is famous for its shrimp, timber, rum and gold. The demographic distribution of the city too is interesting, consisting of Brazilians, Haitians, Creoles, Hmong, Europeans and Asians.