Georgetown is thecapital and largest city ofGuyana. It is situated inDemerara-Mahaica, region 4, on theAtlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of theDemerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean". It is the retail, administrative, and financial services centre of the country, and the city accounts for a large portion of Guyana's GDP. The city recorded a population of 118,363 in the 2012 census.
All executive departments of Guyana's government are located in the city, includingParliament Building, Guyana's Legislative Building and the Court of Appeals, Guyana's highest judicial court. TheState House (the official residence of the head of state), as well as the offices and residence of the head of government, are both located in the city. TheSecretariat of theinternational organization known as theCaribbean Community (CARICOM), with 15 member-states and five associate partners, is also based in Georgetown.
Georgetown is also known for its British and Dutch colonial influenced architecture, including the tall painted-timberSt. George's Cathedral and the iconicStabroek Market.[1]
In 1789, the population was 780 people of which 239 were whites,[5] however the town rapidly started to grow and by 1807 had a population of around 8,500 people.[5] American traders started to build awharf which became known as American Stelling, and little towns started to appear around the main settlement.[6]
The city's name changed again in 1812 when, under British rule, it became Georgetown, in honour ofKing George III.[5] A ward of the city, one fourth of a mile broad and one mile long, retains the nameStabroek.[7]
Georgetown gained official city status on 24 August 1842 during the reign ofQueen Victoria.[8]
Georgetown is located on Guyana's Atlantic coast on the east bank of Demerara River estuary. The terrain in this part of the country where the city is located is flat coastal plains. The city is surrounded by a blanket of cane fields along with marshy swamps, and savannah lands on its east and south. The elevation of the land is one metre below the high tide level.[citation needed] This low elevation is protected by a retaining wall known as the seawall to keep the ocean out and an innovative network of canals with kokers to drain the city of excess water.[citation needed]
Georgetown has a year-round hot trade-windtropical rainforest climate (Af). Relative humidity fluctuates throughout the year with the highest occurring in May, June, August and December–January; these months are usually the rainiest part of the year. Between the months of September to November relative humidity is lower ushering in the drier season.
Georgetown does not truly have adry season – monthly precipitation in all 12 months is above 60 mm (2.4 in). Because of its location Georgetown's temperatures are moderated by the North-Easttrade winds blowing in from the North Atlantic and so it rarely sees temperatures above 31 degrees Celsius.
TheCheddi Jagan International Airport (formerly Timehri Airport) acts as the major air transportation hub for the city, which is located on the right bank of the Demerara River, 41 kilometres south of Georgetown. Closer to the city isEugene F. Correia International Airport (formerly Ogle Airport), with a terminal facility geared to handle regional, international and inter-Caricom flights, connecting CARICOM states with the CARICOM Secretariat. Helicopters also use this airport for the support of offshore oil and gas exploration activities.
The country's first four-lane East Coast Highway was completed in 2005.[12] Since then, development has occurred throughout the city, with countless new roads and avenues developed. The Heroes Highway was commissioned in 2022 and eased traffic congestion on the East Bank of Demerara.[13] This highway will connect Mandela Avenue to the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
Georgetown is served by private buses and taxis.[14] TheDemerara Harbour Bridge was the city's major crossing point into neighbouring Region 3 until the October 5, 2025 commissioning of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge.[15]
Georgetown recorded a population of 118,363 in the 2012 Guyanese census, down 12 percent from the 134,497 people counted in the 2002 census.[1] In 2002, about 70,962 (53%) listed themselves asBlack/African; 31,902 (24%) asmixed; 26,542 (20%) asEast Indian; 1,441 (1.1%) asAmerindian; 1,075 (0.8%) asPortuguese; 475 (0.35%) asChinese; 2,265 (1.7%) as "don't know/not stated"; 196 (0.15%) aswhite not of Portuguese descent; 35 as "other".[17]
Georgetown is laid out in a north–south, east–west grid, interlaced with canals protected bykokers (sluices), built by the Dutch and later the British that provide drainage to a city that lies 0.91 m (3 ft) below high-tide level. A longseawall helps prevent flooding. The city has numerous boulevards and contains many wooden colonial buildings and markets.
TheGeorgetown Cenotaph, at Main and Church Streets, was built in 1923. It is the site of Remembrance Day (Remembrance Sunday) services in November each year.
To the south of this region is where the neo-GothicCity Hall (1889) is to be found, as well as the Victoria Law Courts (1887), theParliament Building (1829–1834), the largeStabroek Market (1792) containing the prominent cast-iron clock tower that dominates the city sky line, theRoman CatholicBrickdam Cathedral, City Engineer House, the Magistrate's Court,St. Andrew's Kirk (1818) and Independence Arch.
TheGuyana National Park is an urban park in the city. More inland, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods are theGuyana Zoo,Botanical Gardens andCastellani House. The Botanical Garden, in addition to a variety of plants, also features a manatee pond, as well as other enclosures housing felines such as jaguars, lynxes, or bobcats.[19] The city's suburbs are also home to theMuseum of African Heritage located in Bel Air Park.[20]
Among these key points of interest isTexila American University – Guyana Campus, located inProvidence just outside the city. The university offers top-tier programs in medicine, public health and management attracting students from across the Caribbean and beyond.
Georgetown's theatre scene is dominantly concentrated on the stages of theNational Cultural Centre. Plays are also staged at the theatre guild of Guyana. This is the oldest theatrical performance facility in Guyana. It was opened in 1957 and restored in 2007.
This area also has a number of exclusive gated communities. Bel Air Park, Bel Air Gardens, Lamaha Gardens and Bel Air Springs are well known ultimately as high income neighbourhoods. While Meadow Brook Gardens, Subryanville and South Ruimveldt Gardens are High-Middle Income communities.
North of Georgetown lies Main Street, where the head of state's official residence as well as the Ministry of Finance. East of Georgetown stretches towards the Avenue of the Republic, where Georgetown's city hall building is located, and St. George's Cathedral. Also on the east side is Brickdam, which is the single most concentrated area of executive departments and agencies. The Ministries of Health, Education, Home Affairs, Housing and Water are all located on Brickdam.
West of Stabroek Market is the Port of Georgetown, the largest and busiest shipping point in Guyana. Stabroek Market itself contains the Ministry of Labour as well as the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. It is also the host facility for the equally famous Stabroek markets. Regent Street is considered Georgetown's premier shopping district and Sheriff Street is the main entertainment area containing most of the city's clubs, bars and restaurants.
The south end incorporates communities of neighbourhoods along the eastern bank of the Demerara River such asSophia, Roxanne Burnham Gardens, Albouystown, and Agricola. Those are well known and highly regarded poor areas of the city. Some areas such as Houston Estates, Ruimvelt and Thirst Park have retained high levels of affluence.
Armed robberies occur regularly in Georgetown, especially in businesses and shopping districts.[21] Particularly high crime areas of Georgetown include Tiger Bay, Albouystown, Sophia, and Agricola.[22] Pickpocketing is a daily occurrence in theStabroek Market area.[22]
^Luke M. Hill – The Nomenclature of Georgetown in Timehri: The Journal of the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society of British Guiana (Third Series) Vol.1, January 1911, p. 42
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