Site Map

  Georgetown, Guyana Index for
Georgetown
Website Links For
Georgetown
 

Information About

Georgetown, Guyana

APPAREL
BABY
BEAUTY
BOOKS
CAR TOYS
CELL PHONES
DVD'S
ELECTRONICS
GOURMET FOOD
GROCERIES
HEALTH & PERSONAL
HOME & GARDEN
JEWELRY
MUSIC
MUSIC INSTRUMENTS
OFFICE PRODUCTS
SOFTWARE
SPORTING GOODS
TOOLS & HARDWARE
TOYS
VIDEO GAMES
SHOPPING HOME

MORE SHOPPING...



Georgetown, estimated population 250,000 ( 1998 ), is the Capital and largest city of Guyana , located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and is nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at .


History

Georgetown was originally called Stabroek when the Dutch controlled the region. The settlement gained permanence during a period of French control when the first paved street, Brickdam, was built. It was renamed Georgetown in 1812 in honour of King George III , after the British occupied the colony, and gained official city status on Aug 24, 1842 during the reign of Queen Victoria. In 1945 a large fire (The Great Fire) broke out in the city causing widespread damage.


The Capital City

Georgetown is the seat of the central Government of Guyana. All Executive Departments are located in the city. Parliament, Guyana's Legislative Building, is also found in Georgetown and so is the Court of Appeals, Guyana's highest judicial court.
The Official residence of the Head of State as well as the Head of Government are both located in Guyana's only city.
It is a Sister City of St. Louis. Missouri, USA.


Economy

Demerara Sugar , Timber , Bauxite , Gold , and Diamond s are exported through Georgetown's harbour.

List of businesses headquartered in Georgetown:
  • Bank Of Guyana

  • N.Osman Investments

  • Western Union Guyana Ltd

  • Grace Kennedy Remitence Service

  • Money Gram Guyana

  • Scotia Bank Guyana

  • KFC

  • Laparkan Group of Companies

  • Gafoors Group of Companies

  • Sprint 151

  • Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company

  • Guyana Power & Light

  • Guyana Water Inc

  • Guyana Net

  • U-Mobile

  • St.Joseph's Mercy Hospital

  • KPMG Guyana

  • National Milling Company of Guyana

  • Le Mederian Pegasus Hotel

  • The Tower Hotel

  • Courts Guyana Ltd

  • Guyana Stores

  • John Lewis Styles

  • Giftland

  • National Communications Network

  • British Sky Broadcasting (Sky TV)



Politics

Executive- Georgetown is politically governed by a Mayor. The Mayor's office includes several supporting agencies and divisions including the offices of the Deputy Mayor, City Clerk and City Engineer. The Mayor's office also supervises the city constables, who are city police with special duties. The current mayor of Georgetown is former cabinet minister Hamilton Green.
The Mayor is officially given the honour 'His Worship'. The Mayor's office space is housed at City Hall on Avenue of the Republic.

Legislative- The City Council is the legislative branch of the city government.

Judiciary- The Georgetown Magistrate Court has judicial responsibility for the Georgetown Magistrial Distict.


Performing arts

Georgetown's theatre scene is dominantly concentrated on the stages of the National Cultural Centre.


Points of interest

Georgetown is laid out in a N-S, E-W grid, interlaced with canals protected by Kokers built by the Dutch and later the British that provide drainage to a city that lies 13 feet below high-tide level. A long sea wall helps prevent flooding. The city has an abundance of tree-lined streets and avenues and contains many wooden colonial buildings and markets.

Most of the main buildings are centred around the western region of the town. Around the western-central area is Independence Square and Promenade Gardens, the Walter Roth Museum Of Anthropology , the National Library (built by Andrew Carnegie ), the Bank of Guyana, the Museum Of Guyana and State House (built 1852 ) where the President resides, and St. George's Anglican Cathedral . There are many churches, mosques and Mandir s in Georgetown.

To the south of this region is where the neo- Gothic Town Hall ( 1889 ) is to be found, as well as Victoria Law Courts ( 1887 ), the Parliament Building ( 1829 - 1834 ), the large Stabroek Market ( 1792 ) containing the prominent cast-iron clock tower that dominates the city sky line, the Roman Catholic Cathedral , City Engineer House, the Magistrate's Court, St. Andrew's Kirk ( 1818 ) and Independence Arch .

The northern area of the city near the Atlantic coast contains Fort William Frederick, a park and the Umana Yana , a conical thatched building built by Wai-Wai Amerindians using traditional techniques. It was built for the 1972 Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Conference . The Georgetown Light House is a famous landmark.

Georgetown is the seat of the University Of Georgetown and the Caribbean Community ( CARICOM ) Secretariat. The University Of Guyana is located in Turkeyen , on the city's outskirts.
;alkj voaijva


Regions of Georgetown

Georgetown has expanded dramatically through the years and may be divided into three Geographical regions:

  • Georgetown -refering to Central Georgetown includes the Business district as well as the seat of the the Federal Government.


  • Greater Georgetown- contains some of the most expensive and luxurious metropolitan neighbourhoods. Bel Air, Bel Air Park, Bel Air Gardens,Lamaha Gardens, Prashad Nagar and Bel Air Springs are well known as places for the rich and powerful. Most residents here are high ranking executives or government officials.These close gated neighbourhoods of the city are mostly concentrated in the northeastern part towards Greater Georgetown and the Atlantic.

  • Greather Georgetown contains some notbale places such as:

  • The University of Guyana (headquarters)

  • The Cyril Potter College of Education

  • The Caribbean Community Secretariat (Headquarters of CARICOM)

  • The Guyana International Conference Center

  • Ocean View Internatioal Hotel

  • Guyana Sugar Corporation (Headquarters of the country's largest corporation)

  • Ogle Airport (Guyana's local air transport facility)


  • South Georgetown- incorporated communities of neighbourhoods along the eastern bank of the Demerara river such as Sophia, Roxanne Burham Gardens, Alboystown, Gyhoc Park and Agricola.

  • This is a well known and highly regarded poor areas of the city while some places like Houston Estates, Ruimvelt and Thirst Park have retained high levels of affluency.


KAYDIA WAS HERE!!!!!!!!!! GUYANA PRIDE!


City neighbourhoods

Known for its historic importance, today Georgetown remains the Administrative center for the central Government.
North of Georgetown lies Main Street, where the Head of State's official residence can be found along with several other important Government buildings including the Ministry of Finance. East of Georgetown stretches towards the Avenue of the Republic where Georgetown's City Hall building is located as well as the magestic world famous St.Georges building.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, Houising 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.Also is host facility to the equally famous Stabroek markets.
  • Regent Street- known as Georgetown's premir shopping district. It is said if you don't find it on Regent street, you won't find it anywhere else in Georgetown.

  • Sheriff Street- this is Guyana's ultimate and only hot spot for entertainment. It contains most of the city's clubs, bars and restaurants.It is said to be the only street in Georgeotwn that never sleeps.



Suburbs

Suburban Georgetown is comprised of Greater Georgetown and Uptown Georgetown and contains the following suburbs of the city :
  • Republic Park

  • Nandy Park

  • Providence



Travel

Georgetown is served by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport , 41 km south of the city. International flights/connections from Toronto, New York, Miami, London, Bridgetown , Port Of Spain and Paramaribo are routine. There is also a regular coach service between Georgetown and Boa Vista in Brazil , and ready travel to Paramaribo, Suriname via a ferry crossing on the Courantyne River .
There are many hotels in the city, including: Blue Wave Apartments , Brandsville's Apartments, Campala Hotel, Cara Inn, Cara Lodge, Cara Suites, Florentine's Hotel, Friends Apartment Hotel, Grand Coastal Hotels (two locations), Hotel Arizante , Hotel Glow, Hotel Tower, Le Méridien Pegasus Hotel , Main Street Plaza, New Tropicana Hotel, Plaza Hotel, lima Guest House and Woodbine International Hotel.


Utilities

Power is suppied by the State owned and controlled Guyana Power and Light.

Water and Solid Waste Disposal is handled by State owned and foreign managed Guyana Water Incorporated.

Telephone, High Speed Internet are supplied by US owned Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company.

Satellite TV services are offered by Sky Digital Networks (Guyana) Inc.


External links