Georgetown

the capital and principal economic center of Guyana. Georgetown is located on the Atlantic coast near the mouth of the Demerara River. The climate is subequatorial and damp. The average temperature in January is 26°C and in September, 28°C. The average annual precipitation is 2,230 mm. Population, 195,000 (1970, including suburbs).

Georgetown was founded by Dutch settlers in the late 18th century under the name Tabrok (or Stabroek). In 1784, it became the center of the Dutch colony in South America. In the early 19th century, the city passed into the possession of the English, who renamed it Georgetown in 1812. The governor’s residence was located there, and in 1831 it became the capital of British Guiana. Beginning in the 1930’s, workers’ strikes occurred in Georgetown. By the late 1940’s, the struggle against colonial rule had intensified. The most important demonstrations took place in February 1962, April 1963, and the summer of 1964. Since May 1966, Georgetown has been the capital of the independent state of Guyana.

Georgetown is the chief port of the country: exports (about 2.5 million tons a year) include bauxite, lumber, sugar, and rum; imports (about 300,000 tons a year) include grain and manufactured goods. Flour, sugar, margarine, cigarettes, beer, and soap are produced in the city. Several sawmills are located there. Georgetown has a railroad station, as well as an airport of international importance (Timehri, located 48 km from the city).

The center of Georgetown is laid out on a rectangular block pattern with flat, broad tree-lined streets. The government buildings and the National Assembly (1829-34), the court (1880’s), the town hall (1887-89) are in this section of the city, as well as the wooden Anglican cathedral (1889-92) and the Catholic cathedral made of reinforced concrete (after 1913). In the mid-20th century, reinforced-concrete buildings were constructed in the business and commercial quarters, but one-story wooden houses built on high brick supports predominate. Georgetown is the site of the university, the public library, and the Guyana Museum, as well as the Guild Theater and the Botanical Garden.