The Countries
Sunset in the Guianas
Guyana
Former English colony Guyana became independent in 1966. The official language in is English. The population of approximately 750,000 people comprises mainly of Afro-Guyanese and Hindustani, with smaller groups of Amerindians, Whites and Chinese.
Guyana is famous for its Kaieture waterfall, which is -with a mighty 275 m-the largest single drop water fall in the world.
In this biodiversity rich country undisturbed populations of the Arapaima and manatee can still be found.
Suriname
Suriname is the smallests country of South America. The former Dutch colony became independent in 1975 and has a population of just over 500,000 people . The rich biodiversity of the country is reflected in the population; a mixture of Afro-Surinamese, Hindustani, Javanese, Amer-indians, Marroons, Chinese, whites and many others. The official language is Dutch, but Sranan tongo (a mixture of English, Dutch, Spanish, French and African languages) is widely spoken.
Currently 90% of Surinames BNP comes from the extractive industries. (Especially Bauxite, Oil and Gold.)
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas departement of France. The official language is French, but French-Creole is also widely spoken. The ethnically diverse population is almost 200,000 people large and lives mainly on the coast.
Of the three countries French Guiana has the largest protected areas system and large populations of the black caiman are a major tourist attraction.