Guyana is a sovereign country in South America, in the wider region of the Americas. The long form of the name is Co-operative Republic of Guyana. The capital is Georgetown.
Some 831,087 people call it home, placing it 165th of 250 by population — between the Comoros above it and the Solomon Islands below. Among the 14 entries in South America it ranks 10th by area and 11th by population.
Its territory runs to 214,969 km², which ranks it 86th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Laos and just ahead of Belarus. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is a little larger than Belarus.
Location, borders and position
Its reference point sits at 5.0° north and 59.0° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 557 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.
Countries on the same parallel, far away in longitude, include the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Cameroon.
3 countries share a land border with it: Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela. The largest of them by area is Brazil, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 241.0 million people.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
People, population and language
Population divided by land area gives roughly 3.9 people per square kilometre, which makes it very thinly populated. The median across all 250 entries here is about 90 per square kilometre.
English is the only official language. English is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 90 other entries including American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and Australia.
The demonym is Guyanese, so residents are Guyanese.
Inside the Americas it places 26th of 56 by population, and it accounts for under 1% of everyone living in South America.
Currency, domain and dialling code
It uses the Guyanese dollar ($, GYD). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Guyana.
The top-level domain is .gy. The international dialling code is +592. In ISO terms it is gy in two letters and GUY in three.
Georgetown is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
Guyana is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Guyana shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Guyana
- It lies about 557 km from the equator, in equatorial latitudes.
- People from Guyana are known as Guyanese.
- Websites based there use the .gy domain.
- Its full official name is Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
- Its capital city is Georgetown.
- Within South America it is the 10th largest of 14.
- It is 165th of 250 by population, with about 831,087 residents.
- The Guyanese dollar is used here and nowhere else on this list.
Guyana — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Guyana?
- The capital of Guyana is Georgetown.
- Which countries border Guyana?
- Guyana borders 3 countries: Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela. Brazil is the largest of them by area.
- Where is Guyana located?
- Guyana is in South America, part of the Americas. Its reference coordinates are 5.0° north and 59.0° west, roughly 557 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.
- What is the population of Guyana?
- Guyana has a population of about 831,087, which makes it the 165th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. The Comoros sits just above it and the Solomon Islands just below.
- Is Guyana a country?
- Yes. Guyana is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- How big is Guyana?
- Guyana covers 214,969 km², ranking 86th of 250 by land area. That makes it a little larger than Belarus.
- What language is spoken in Guyana?
- The official language of Guyana is English. It is also official in 90 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Guyana use?
- Guyana uses the Guyanese dollar, written $ (currency code GYD). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
