The Natural Landscape of Guyana

Guyana, formerly British Guiana, is located in northeastern South America with an Atlantic coastline of approximately 459 km (285 mi). Its national borders are with Suriname in the east, Venezuela in the west, and Brazil in the west and south.

It is the third-smallest country on the South American continent, with an area of 214,970 sq km (83,000 sq mi).

Guayana is a part of the region known as "The Guianas," which includes Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana) and French Guiana.

Guyana can be considered part of the Caribbean South America subregion, along with the other Caribbean Sea boundary nations and territories of South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, and French Guiana.

Biodiversity

According to the Global Biodiversity Index, Guyana ranks 37th in the world in terms of biodiversity, providing habitat for approximately 793 bird species, 135 amphibian species, 996 fish species, 236 mammal species, 175 reptile species, and 6,500 vascular plant species.

Climate

Guyana has a tropical climate with almost uniformly high temperatures and humidity. Seasonal temperature variations are slight, particularly along the coast. Rainfall is generally high, with the heaviest in the north and the lightest in the south and interior.

_{Map depicting the countries on the continent of South America}

Natural Geography of Guyana

Geographic Zones

Guyana can be divided into three main geographic regions or zones:

• the coastal plain

• the white sand belt

• the interior highlands

Coastal Plain

The coastal plain extends along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Extending only 5 - 6 km (3 - 4 mi) on average and 16 km (10 mi) at its widest, this narrow plain is home to more than 90% of the country's population.

A 450 km (280 mi) seawall runs along most of Guyana's coastline, much of which is below sea level at high tide. The seawall was constructed to protect settlements in the coastal areas, including the capital city of Georgetown.

Much of the area has been reclaimed from the sea utilizing canals and dikes. Because much of the coastal plain floods at high tide, efforts to dam and drain this area have gone on since the 18th century.

The plain predominantly consists of alluvial mud swept out to sea by the Amazon River in the south, carried north by the ocean currents, and deposited on the shore. This mud overlays the white sands and clays deposited by erosion activity of the interior bedrock carried toward the ocean by Guyana's rivers.

The coast has no well-defined shoreline or sandy beaches. Instead, Seaward from the vegetation line is a region of mud flats, shallow water, and sandbars.

These shallow waters can impede shipping as vessels often need to partially unload their cargo to reach the Georgetown and New Amsterdam docks.

_{Guyana shaded relief map}

White Sand Belt

Inland from the coastal plain is an area of low sandy hills interspersed with rocky outcroppings. A line of swamps forms a barrier between these interior hills and the coastal plain. This region features undulating land that gradually rises from hills that average heights of 15 m (50 ft) in the east, nearest the coast, to 120 m (400 ft) in the west.

This white sand belt supports a dense hardwood forest. However, this sandy area cannot support crops. Without the forest, erosion would be rapid and severe. Most of Guyana's bauxite, gold, and diamond reserves are found in this region.

A small savanna region in the east lies about 100 km (60 mi) from the coast and is surrounded by a low plateau partly overlaid by the white sands belt. The table forms most of the country's center and is penetrated by igneous rock intrusions that cause the numerous rapids of Guyana's rivers.

Interior Highlands

The interior highlands are the largest of Guyana's geographical regions. The region consists of plateaus, flat-topped mountains, and savannahs extending from the white sand belt to the country's southern borders.

Much of this region consists of grassland. The largest expanse of grassland is the Rupununi Savannah in southern Guyana, extending into Venezuela and Brazil.

The Pacaraima Mountains (or Pakaraima Mountains), along with Mount Roraima on the Brazil-Guyana-Venezuela tripoint border, dominate the western part of the interior highlands.

To the south lies the Kaieteurian Plateau, the site of the spectacular Kaieteur Falls, and the Kanuku Mountains.

Further south, the Acarai Mountains are situated along the border with Brazil.

Some of Guyana's highest peaks are:

• Mount Ayanganna (2,042 m or 6,699 ft)

• Monte Caburaí (1,465 m or 4,806 ft)

• Mount Roraima (2,772 m or 9,094 ft)

_{Relief map of Guyana}

Bodies of Water

Major Rivers

Guyana's four main rivers flow from the south and empty into the Atlantic Ocean along the eastern section of the coast.

• Essequibo River: 1,010 km (628 mi)

• Courentyne River: 724 km (450 mi), forms the border with Suriname

• Berbice River: 595 km (370 mi)

• Demerara River: 346 km (215 mi)

Other Rivers include:

• Potaro River

• Mazaruni River

• Cuyuni River

• Rupununi River

Notable Lakes

• Lake Capoey

• Mainstay Lake

• Lake Amuku

• Lamparina Lake

• Lukunanikabra Lake

• Lago de Forno

• Blue Water Lake

• Hot and Cold Lake

• Capoey Lake

• Mainstay Lake

Canals

• Hope Canal

• Torani Canal

_{CIA map of Guyana}

Natural Regions

Guyana can be divided into four natural regions:

• narrow and fertile marshy plain along the Atlantic coast (low coastal plain) where most of the population lives

• white sand belt further inland (hilly sand and clay region), containing most of Guyana's mineral deposits

• dense rainforests (forested highland region) in the middle of the country

• grassy flat savanna in the south and the more extensive interior highlands (interior savanna) consisting primarily of mountains that gradually rise to the Brazilian border

Ecological Regions

The following is a list of terrestrial ecoregions in Guyana, as defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Guyana is in the Neotropical realm. Ecoregions are classified by biome type - the major global plant communities determined by rainfall and climate.

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

• Guianan Highlands moist forests

• Guianan moist forests

• Orinoco Delta swamp forests

• Pantepui forests and shrublands

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands

• Guianan savanna

Mangroves

• Guianan mangroves

_{Vegetation map of Guyana}

Administrative Divisions

See: Cultural Landscape of Guyana