Guyana
Capital: Georgetown
Size: About 83,000 square miles (214,969 sq km).
Language: English (the only country in South America with English as its official language)
Currency: Guyanese dollar
Capital population: Georgetown has about 118,000 people (over 200,000 in the metro area).
Population: About 800,000 people.See the biggest cities →National animal: Jaguar (the big spotted cat, shown on the coat of arms)
National flower: Victoria amazonica (the giant water lily)
Climate
Hot and wet tropical climate all year, with heavy rains. Average highs stay around 85F to 90F (29C to 32C).
Main industries
Gold and bauxite mining, sugar, rice, and lately oil found off its coast.
Top places for tourists
Kaieteur Falls, one of the world's most powerful single-drop waterfalls, and the vast rainforests full of wildlife.
Places of interest
The wooden buildings of Georgetown, including St. George's Cathedral, one of the tallest wooden churches in the world.
A little history
Home to Indigenous peoples, Guyana was a Dutch and then a British colony, and became independent from Britain in 1966.
Fun fact
Guyana means 'land of many waters', and giant water lily pads there can grow big enough to hold a small child.