Guyana

American  

[gahy-an-uh, -ah-nuh] / gaɪˈæn ə, -ˈɑ nə /

noun

1. an independent republic on the northeastern coast of South America: a former British protectorate; gained independence 1966; member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 82,978 sq. mi. (214,913 sq. km). Georgetown.

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Guyana British  

/ ɡaɪˈænə /

noun

1. Former name (until 1966): British Guiana.  a republic in NE South America, on the Atlantic: colonized chiefly by the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries; became a British colony in 1831 and an independent republic within the Commonwealth in 1966. Official language: English. Religions: Christian and Hindu. Currency: dollar. Capital: Georgetown. Pop: 739 903 (2013 est). Area: about 215 000 sq km (83 000 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Guyanese
  noun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Guyana

Guyana, a small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America, is locked in a territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

A ferry carrying 116 passengers has sunk off the coast of Guyana with 53 people so far rescued, local authorities have said.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela and the U.A.E., alongside weaker oil demand, particularly in China, as the transition toward energy alternatives such as electric vehicles is expected to accelerate.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026

Brazil produces four times as much oil as Venezuela; and in Guyana, where production began only seven years ago, output almost equals Venezuela’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

The Demerara is a river in Guyana, but the word was also used to refer to a region, and even to the colony itself.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson