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→The Guianas
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==The Guianas== | ==The Guianas== | ||
The Guianas, region of South America, located on the continent’s north-central coast and covering an area of about 181,000 square miles (468,800 square km). It includes the independent nations of Guyana and Suriname and French Guiana, an overseas département of France. The region is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, on the east and south by Brazil, and on the west by Venezuela. In the late 20th century, boundary disputes remained unsettled between Venezuela and Guyana, Guyana and Suriname, and Suriname and French Guiana. | |||
The Guianas are subdivided into three principal zones from south to north: the Precambrian Guiana Shield, a region of low mountains that lies along the southern borders of the three states and rises to the region’s highest point, Mount Roraima, 9,094 feet (2,772 metres); a lower region of hilly country covered by a tropical hardwood forest and occasional savanna grasslands; and the low-lying, narrow alluvial plain along the Atlantic coast. The region’s name derives from an Indian word for such lowlands: guiana (“land of water”). Major rivers drain the highlands north-northeastward toward the sea. The region has a year-round humid tropical climate that is tempered along the coast by offshore sea breezes. About 80–90 percent of the region is covered by dense tropical forests containing many valuable species of wood. Settlement and commercial agriculture are largely confined to the coastal areas and the lower, navigable river valleys. The region’s rich and diverse wildlife includes jaguars, pumas, ocelots, tapirs, deer, sloths, great anteaters, armadillos, caimans, and iguanas. The Guiana Shield is rich in minerals, but only bauxite is exploited on a large scale by Guyana and Suriname. The rivers have rich and partly developed potential for hydroelectric power. | The Guianas are subdivided into three principal zones from south to north: the Precambrian Guiana Shield, a region of low mountains that lies along the southern borders of the three states and rises to the region’s highest point, Mount Roraima, 9,094 feet (2,772 metres); a lower region of hilly country covered by a tropical hardwood forest and occasional savanna grasslands; and the low-lying, narrow alluvial plain along the Atlantic coast. The region’s name derives from an Indian word for such lowlands: guiana (“land of water”). Major rivers drain the highlands north-northeastward toward the sea. The region has a year-round humid tropical climate that is tempered along the coast by offshore sea breezes. About 80–90 percent of the region is covered by dense tropical forests containing many valuable species of wood. Settlement and commercial agriculture are largely confined to the coastal areas and the lower, navigable river valleys. The region’s rich and diverse wildlife includes jaguars, pumas, ocelots, tapirs, deer, sloths, great anteaters, armadillos, caimans, and iguanas. The Guiana Shield is rich in minerals, but only bauxite is exploited on a large scale by Guyana and Suriname. The rivers have rich and partly developed potential for hydroelectric power. | ||
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In British Guiana settlers discovered gold in 1879, thereby inaugurating the exploitation of mineral resources that have since become the dominant industries of Guyana and Suriname. Bauxite was first discovered (1915) in Suriname and subsequently in British Guiana. French Guiana in 1946 became a French overseas département, while Suriname underwent constitutional reform (1948–51) and was granted self-government by the Netherlands in 1954 and independence in 1975. British Guiana was granted its own constitution in 1953 and achieved independence as Guyana in 1966. | In British Guiana settlers discovered gold in 1879, thereby inaugurating the exploitation of mineral resources that have since become the dominant industries of Guyana and Suriname. Bauxite was first discovered (1915) in Suriname and subsequently in British Guiana. French Guiana in 1946 became a French overseas département, while Suriname underwent constitutional reform (1948–51) and was granted self-government by the Netherlands in 1954 and independence in 1975. British Guiana was granted its own constitution in 1953 and achieved independence as Guyana in 1966. | ||
==Geography of Guyana== | ==Geography of Guyana== | ||