People of Guyana
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 1,250,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Guyana
|
771,000 |
 United States
|
281 371 |
 Canada
|
101 004 |
 United Kingdom
|
40,872 |
 Netherlands
|
14,560 |
 Suriname
|
11 530 |
 Venezuela
|
7 401 |
 Trinidad and Tobago
|
1,000 |
 Brazil
|
1,000 |
| Languages | |
| English, Caribbean Hindustani, Javanese, Indigenous languages | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestants), Hinduism, Islam | |
Guyanese people are people from Guyana, officially named the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, which is located on the northern coast of South America and borders the Atlantic Ocean. Geographically, Guyana is part of the South American mainland, however it is much more similar to the nearby island nations of the West Indies such as Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada with respect to culture. In fact, Guyana is considered a Caribbean country even though it is not an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea, as are most Caribbean nations.
Guyana is also a founding member of the Caribbean Community CARICOM. However, Guyana does share some of the Latin American customs and traits that are characteristic of its South American neighbors, and it is also a founding member of the Union of South American Nations which formed in 2008. In addition to some Latin American and a great deal of Caribbean influence, Guyana's culture also reflects its European history as it was originally a Dutch, then British colony. Guyana (known as British Guiana under British colonial rule) only gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966 and subsequently became a republic in 1970. Because of Guyana's long, 170-year history as a British colony, today it is a part of the Anglophone Caribbean - a subregion of the Caribbean consisting of independent, English-speaking nations that were once British colonies (also known as the Commonwealth Caribbean). While Guyana is the only country in South America with English as the official language, the majority of people in Guyana actually speak Guyanese Creole which is a creole language that is largely based on English and contains some minor influences from the Arawakan, Dutch and Caribbean languages.
Guyana is a diverse nation, 39.8% of the population is of East Indian origin (see Indo-Guyanese), 29.3% Black African (see Afro-Guyanese), 19.9% multiracial (almost all part African), 10.5% Amerindian and 0.5% other, mostly Chinese and whites (most notably Dutch people, Portuguese and English). English (in the form of Guyanese Creole) is the most common language amongst Guyanese people in Guyana and its diaspora, while British English is taught in School, and used in Government and business. The religious breakdown of Guyanese people is: Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Muslim 7.2%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh-day Adventist 5%, other Christian denominations 20.5%, no religion 4.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, Bahá'í 0.1%, other faiths 2.2%.
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