Guyana

Guyana lies on South America's northern coast, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela, covering 214,969 square kilometers, the third-smallest sovereign state in mainland South America, with Georgetown as its capital and English as its official language, unique among mainland South American countries. Its population, the second-least populous in South America after Suriname, is drawn from Indian, African, Amerindian, Chinese, Portuguese and European groups alongside nine Indigenous tribes, including the Wai Wai, Macushi, Patamona, Lokono, Kalina, Wapishana, Pemon, Akawaio and Warao. Guyana was colonized by the Dutch before coming under British control in the late eighteenth century, gaining independence in 1966 and republican status in 1970. The discovery of crude oil in 2015 transformed its economy, which expanded 49 percent in 2020, and Guyana now ranks fourth in the Americas for GDP per capita, behind only the United States, Canada and the Bahamas.