History of Guyana

Essequibo, 1616–1815 Draft, not yet reviewed

Essequibo was a Dutch colony in the Guianas and later a county on the Essequibo River in the Guiana region on the north coast of South America. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1616 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 until 1815. Using funds of the West Indian Company (WIC), van der Hooge built a new fort called "Fort Ter Hoogen" from 1616 to 1621, though the fort quickly became known amongst the inhabitants as Fort Kyk-Over-Al. It formally became a British colony in 1815 until Demerara-Essequibo was merged with Berbice to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831.

Seat of power: Fort Kyk-Over-Al

British Guiana, 1814–1966 Draft, not yet reviewed

British Guiana was a British colony located on the northern coast of South America. The Netherlands officially ceded the three colonies to the United Kingdom in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814. In 1831, the administration Essequibo-Demerara and Berbice was combined, and the united colony became known as British Guiana. Guyana became independent of the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966.

Seat of power: Georgetown

Commonwealth realm of Guyana, 1966–1970 Draft, not yet reviewed

Guyana was a predecessor to the modern-day Co-operative Republic of Guyana and an independent state that existed between 1966 and 1970. British rule ended on 26 May 1966 when Guyana was given independence from the United Kingdom by the Guyana Independence Act 1966, which transformed British Guiana into an independent sovereign state, with Elizabeth II as Queen of Guyana. The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly delegated to her representative Governor-General of Guyana. The Co-operative Republic of Guyana was formed on 23 February 1970 when Guyana became a republic in the Commonwealth.

Seat of power: Georgetown

Rulers

• Elizabeth II, monarch of the commonwealth realm of Guyana, 1966–1970

Guyana, 1970 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Guyana was colonised by the Dutch, and it gained independence in 1966 and officially became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. On 5 October 1992, a new National Assembly and regional councils were elected in the first Guyanese election since 1964 to be internationally recognised as free and fair. A referendum in neighbouring Venezuela was held in December 2023 on the annexation of the Essequibo region, which is disputed with Guyana and has been under Guyanese control since its founding. In 2015, major oil reserves were discovered off the coast by ExxonMobil.

Seat of power: Georgetown

Rulers

• Arthur Chung, President of Guyana, 1970–1980
• Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana, 1980–1985
• Desmond Hoyte, President of Guyana, 1985–1992
• Sam Hinds, Prime Minister of Guyana, 1992–2015
• Janet Jagan, President of Guyana, 1997–1999
• Sam Hinds, President of Guyana, 1997–1997
• Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana, 1999–2011
• Donald Ramotar, President of Guyana, 2011–2015
• David A. Granger, President of Guyana, 2015–2020
• Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, 2020 to today