Guyana is a nature lovers dream come true, virtually untouched by man and full of adventures to discover. Located on the northeast coast of South America, tucked between Venezuela to the west, Brazil to the southwest and Suriname to the east and considered to be within the Caribbean region, Guyana's similarities with other Caribbean countries virtually stop there.
New Year?s Day (01Jan); Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) (10Jan); Republic Day (23Feb); Phagwah (Holi) (14Mar); Yum an-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet) (10Apr); Good Friday (14Apr); Easter Monday (17Apr); Labour Day (01May);
Indian Heritage Day (05May); Independence Day (26May); Caricom Day (03Jul); Freedom Day (01Aug); Diwali (Hindu Festival of Light) (21Oct); Eid Al Fitr. (22-24Oct); Christmas (25Dec); Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) (31Dec).
› Visas
Required by all except the following:
(a) 1. british, Australian, Canadian, USA, other EU, Japanese (except nationals of Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia who do need a visa);
(b) persons of Guyanese birth with foreign passports provided their passports clearly indicate place of birth or they have other satisfactory documentary evidence;
(c) nationals of Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Korea (Dem Rep), Korea (Rep), Montserrat, New Zealand, Norway, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, South Africa, Surinam, Switzerland and Trinidad & Tobago, provided they hold onward or return tickets and sufficient funds for the duration of stay;
(d) transit passengers continuing their journey to a third country by the same aircraft or by first connecting aircraft within seven hours, without leaving the airport.
» Guyana History
At the time the first Europeans arrived in the area around 1500, Guyana was inhabited by Arawak and Carib tribes of Amerindians. European invasion/settlement began in the early 17th century with the Dutch, who established three separate colonies; Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). The British assumed control in the late 18th century and the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. The three became a single British colony known as British Guiana in 1831.
The abolition of slavery in 1834 led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured laborers from Madeira (Portugal) (beginning in 1834), Germany (first in 1835), Ireland (1836), Scotland (1837), Malta (1839), China and India (beginning in 1838) to work on the sugar plantations. In 1889 Venezuela claimed the land up to the Essequibo. Ten years later an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to British Guiana; however, the dispute continues [1].
Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1966 and became a republic in 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The CIA and United States State Department along with the British government played a strong covert role in influencing who would control Guyana during this time.
