Demerara
| Colony of Demerara | ||||||||||
| Kolonie Demerary | ||||||||||
| Dutch colony | ||||||||||
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 The Demerara colony in 1759
(Note this map has East at its top.) See here for its exact location (6° 48' N 58° 10' W). |
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| Capital | Stabroek | |||||||||
| Languages | Dutch | |||||||||
| Political structure | Colony | |||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | 1745 | ||||||||
| • | Ceded to the United Kingdom | November 20, 1815 | ||||||||
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Demerara (Dutch: Demerary) is a historical region in the Guianas on the north coast of South America which is now part of the country of Guyana. It was a Dutch colony until 1815 and a county of British Guiana from 1838 to 1966. It was located about the lower courses of the Demerara River, and its main town was Georgetown.
The name "Demerara" comes from a variant of the Arawak word "Immenary" or "Dumaruni" which means "river of the letter wood".Demerara sugar is so named because originally it came from sugar cane fields in the colony of Demerara.
In 1745, Demerara was separated from Essequibo.
In 1781, the American revolution induced the Dutch Republic to join with the Bourbon side against the British, a large fleet under Admiral Lord Rodney's command was sent to the West Indies, and after having made some seizures in the Caribbean Islands, a squadron was detached to take possession of the colonies of Essequebo and Demerara, which was accomplished without much difficulty. In 1782 the French took possession of the whole of the Dutch settlements, compelling Gov. Robert Kinston to surrender. The peace of Paris, which occurred in 1783, restored these territories to the Dutch.
The British returned the colony to the Dutch in 1802 under the terms of the Peace of Amiens, but re-took control of it a year later. On 13 August 1814, the British combined the colonies of Demerara and Essequibo into the colony of Demerara-Essequibo. On 20 November 1815, the colony was formally ceded to Britain by the Netherlands.
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