City South America
Georgetown
Georgetown is the capital of Guyana. It is where the Demerara River flows into the sea.
Georgetown is the capital of Guyana, in northern South America, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is the country's main port. In the 2022 census, 125,683 people were counted in the city.
Georgetown, Guyana's capital and main port at the mouth of the Demerara, was founded by the English in 1781, was called Stabroek under Dutch rule and took back the name Georgetown in 1812. Census of 15 September 2022: 125,683 (household population).
Photo: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Georgetown
Georgetown is the capital city of Guyana. Guyana is a country in South America.
The city is where the Demerara River meets the sea. Ships come to its port.
Georgetown is the capital of Guyana, the eastern neighbor of Venezuela. It lies at the mouth of the Demerara River, and Universalis calls it the country's main port and its main center of trade and industry.
In the census of September 2022, 125,683 people were counted in Georgetown, according to Guyana's Bureau of Statistics. That makes it the largest town in Guyana, far ahead of Linden, the second.
Universalis: capital of Guyana, Venezuela's eastern neighbor; at the mouth of the Demerara; the country's first port and its first commercial and industrial center; 118,000 inhabitants at the 2012 census.
Bureau of Statistics Guyana (via City Population), city of Georgetown, census household population (institutional population excluded): 151,679 (1991), 134,497 (2002), 120,142 (2012) and 125,683 (15 September 2022), rank 1, ahead of Linden (33,183) and New Amsterdam (14,762). City Population notes that under a 2014 law the City of Georgetown includes the former city area and its suburbs.
- Country
- Guyana (the capital)
- People in Georgetown (census 2022)
- 125,683
- River
- at the mouth of the Demerara
- Port
- the country's first port (Universalis)
Colorful roofs between river and sea
Look at all the red, blue and green roofs! Brown water is on two sides of the city, and ships wait by the river.
This photo shows Georgetown from the air on 22 November 2019. Red, blue, green and white roofs fill the land between the sea, at the bottom left, and the wide, brown Demerara River on the right. Ships are tied up along the riverbank.
Universalis says most houses in Georgetown are made of wood and usually stand on brick pillars 1 to 3 meters high. After big fires in 1945 and 1951, most buildings in the business districts were rebuilt in reinforced concrete.
Commons: Flickr photo by Dan Lundberg, 22 November 2019, CC BY-SA 2.0 (FlickreviewR passed), transferred in 2020 by another user, who also uploaded a cropped and straightened version; the photographer's description places Georgetown at the mouth of the Demerara River. Image notes added later by a different user label the river at the right and the 'Atlantic Ocean' at the bottom left.
In the picture: muddy brown water on two sides, a sandy beach, green sports fields at left, a dense grid of colorful roofs, ships at riverside wharves and one out on the river, and low gray clouds over the upper part of the view. Universalis: dwellings and public buildings mostly of wood, generally on brick piers 1-3 m high; most business-district buildings rebuilt in reinforced concrete after the fires of 1945 and 1951.
- Photo
- Georgetown from the air, 22 November 2019
- Houses
- mostly wooden, usually raised on brick pillars 1 to 3 m high
- Business districts
- rebuilt mostly in reinforced concrete after fires in 1945 and 1951
A town that got its name back
Long ago, Georgetown had a different name: Stabroek. Later it got its old name, Georgetown, back again.
Universalis says Georgetown was founded by the English in 1781, and the French rebuilt much of it in 1784. While the Dutch held it, the town was called Stabroek. It became the seat of government of the Essequibo and Demerara regions, which were joined into one colony in 1784.
In 1812 Britain took control of the town again and gave it back its first name, Georgetown. Guyana, the former British Guiana, became an independent country in 1966.
Universalis: founded by the English in 1781 and largely rebuilt by the French in 1784; called Stabroek during the Dutch occupation, it became the seat of government of the Essequibo and Demerara regions, united in a single colony in 1784. When Great Britain took control of the town again in 1812, it restored its original name, Georgetown.
Universalis ('Guyana'): the former British Guiana (215,000 km2) became an independent country in 1966 under the name Guyana, while remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The University of Guyana (1963) stands in the suburb of Turkeyen.
- 1781
- founded by the English
- 1784
- as Stabroek, seat of the joined Essequibo and Demerara colony
- 1812
- Britain takes the town back and restores the name Georgetown
A market, a lighthouse and a floating bridge
Near Georgetown, a bridge floats on the river! Ships and planes link the city to other countries.
Universalis says only a few roads leave Georgetown, running along the coast and a short way inland. The city is linked to other countries by air and by sea.
Southwest of the city, the Demerara Harbour Bridge crosses the river. Wikidata describes it as a floating bridge, 2.01 kilometers long, opened on 2 July 1978. In the city stands Stabroek Market, which keeps the name the town had under Dutch rule.
Universalis: the road network is little developed, though a few roads leave Georgetown along the coast and a short distance inland; the city is served by several international air and shipping lines.
Wikidata (from the city point Q10717): Stabroek Market (Q7595794) 1.91 km WNW; Georgetown Lighthouse (Q5547025, inception 1817) 2.48 km NW; Demerara River (Q1185369, 350 km long) item point 2.44 km WNW; Demerara Harbour Bridge (Q5255163), floating bridge, official opening 2 July 1978, length 2.01 km, 5.52 km SW.
- Stabroek Market
- a market about 1.9 km west-northwest of the city's Wikidata point
- Demerara Harbour Bridge
- a floating bridge over the Demerara, opened on 2 July 1978, 2.01 km long (Wikidata)
- Roads and links
- a few roads along the coast and a short way inland; international air and sea lines
Warm all year, with two rainy seasons
It is warm in Georgetown all year long. It rains a lot, most of all in June.
Georgetown is warm all year. In the Japan Meteorological Agency's averages for 1991 to 2020, the monthly average temperature stays between 26.7 °C in January and 28.4 °C in October.
It is also very wet: the World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1961 to 1990 add up to about 2,263 millimeters of rain a year. There are two rainy times, from May to August and from November to January. June is the wettest month, with 327.7 millimeters, and February the driest, with 88.5.
Japan Meteorological Agency world normals, Georgetown (6.80° N, 58.15° W, 1 m), 1991–2020 (period stated on JMA's normals index): monthly mean temperature 26.7 °C (January) to 28.4 °C (October); the station's page lists no precipitation.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Georgetown (Hydrometeorological Service), 1961–1990: precipitation 185.2, 88.5, 111.0, 140.5, 288.5, 327.7, 268.0, 201.4, 97.5, 107.2, 185.9, 261.9 mm, summing to 2,263.3 mm; May-August 1,085.6 mm and November-January 633.0 mm; days with at least 1 mm sum to 174 a year.
- Average temperature (JMA, Georgetown, 1991–2020)
- 26.7 °C (January) to 28.4 °C (October)
- Rain in a year (WMO 1961–1990, sum of the monthly averages)
- about 2,263 mm
- Wettest and driest months (WMO)
- June (327.7 mm) and February (88.5 mm)
Trade, mines and a university
Ships carry sugar and rice from Georgetown. Students learn at a university in the city.
Universalis calls Georgetown the main center of trade and industry in Guyana. It lists the goods the city ships abroad: sugar, rice and tropical fruit, timber and balata gum, and bauxite, gold and diamonds dug from mines in the country's interior.
The University of Guyana, founded in 1963, is in Turkeyen, a suburb of Georgetown. On Wikidata its point is about 3.8 kilometers east of the city's center point.
Universalis: Guyana's first commercial and industrial center; the city exports sugar, rice and tropical fruit, as well as timber, balata gum, bauxite, gold and diamonds from mines in the interior. Main public buildings in the center include government offices and the city hall. The University of Guyana (1963) is in the suburb of Turkeyen.
Wikidata: University of Guyana (Q1502975), inception 1963, 3.80 km E of the city point.
- Trade
- Guyana's main commercial and industrial center (Universalis)
- Exports listed by Universalis
- sugar, rice, tropical fruit, timber, balata gum, bauxite, gold and diamonds
- University of Guyana
- founded in 1963, in the suburb of Turkeyen
Georgetown on the map
Find South America on the globe. Georgetown is on the north coast, close to the equator.
Georgetown lies at about 6.8° north and 58.2° west, on the coast of Guyana, east of Venezuela.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, Stabroek Market is about 1.9 kilometers west-northwest, the Georgetown Lighthouse about 2.5 kilometers northwest, the University of Guyana about 3.8 kilometers east and the Demerara Harbour Bridge about 5.5 kilometers southwest.
Georgetown lies at about 6.80° N and 58.17° W (Natural Earth point, 1.84 km WSW of the Wikidata point). From the Wikidata point (Q10717; 58.1508° W, 6.8058° N): Stabroek Market 1.91 km WNW; Demerara River item point 2.44 km WNW; Georgetown Lighthouse 2.48 km NW; University of Guyana 3.80 km E; Demerara Harbour Bridge 5.52 km SW. The WMO and JMA station point (6.80° N, 58.15° W) is 0.66 km S of the Wikidata point.
- Latitude
- about 6.8° north
- Longitude
- about 58.2° west
- Neighbor
- Guyana is Venezuela's eastern neighbor
Amazing facts
-
Many houses in Georgetown are made of wood and stand up on pillars.
Universalis says most houses in Georgetown are made of wood and usually stand on brick pillars 1 to 3 meters high.
Universalis: most dwellings and public buildings are of wood, generally built on brick piers 1-3 m high; business districts were largely rebuilt in reinforced concrete after the 1945 and 1951 fires.
-
Georgetown once had another name: Stabroek.
While the Dutch held it, Georgetown was called Stabroek. In 1812 it got back its first name, Universalis says.
Universalis: called Stabroek during the Dutch occupation; Great Britain restored the original name Georgetown in 1812. Stabroek Market (Wikidata Q7595794) still carries the old name.
-
A bridge near Georgetown floats on the river!
The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a floating bridge, 2.01 kilometers long. Wikidata says it opened on 2 July 1978.
Wikidata: Demerara Harbour Bridge (Q5255163), a floating bridge over the Demerara, official opening 2 July 1978, length 2.01 km, 5.52 km SW of the city point.
-
Georgetown is warm in every month of the year.
In the JMA averages for 1991 to 2020, Georgetown's coolest month, January, still averages 26.7 °C.
JMA world normals 1991–2020, Georgetown: monthly mean temperature never below 26.7 °C (January); highest 28.4 °C (October).
Words to know
- mouth
- the place where a river flows into the sea or a lake
- capital
- the city where a country's government meets
- colony
- a land ruled by another, faraway country
- pillar
- a strong post that holds a building up off the ground
- reinforced concrete
- concrete made stronger with steel bars inside it
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Georgetown is the capital of which country?
Georgetown is the capital and main port of which country?
Georgetown is the capital of which country, Venezuela's eastern neighbor?
- Guyana
- Ghana
- Japan
Show the answer
Guyana
Guyana!
Guyana.
Guyana.
-
Which river meets the sea at Georgetown?
Georgetown lies at the mouth of which river?
Which river, 350 km long on Wikidata, reaches the sea at Georgetown?
- The Demerara
- The Danube
- The Ganges
Show the answer
The Demerara
The Demerara River!
The Demerara.
The Demerara.
-
What was Georgetown once called?
What was Georgetown called while the Dutch held it?
Under which name was the town the seat of the Essequibo-Demerara colony from 1784?
- Stabroek
- Amsterdam
- Lisbon
Show the answer
Stabroek
Stabroek!
Stabroek.
Stabroek.
-
What are many houses in Georgetown made of?
Universalis says most houses in Georgetown are built of what?
Most Georgetown dwellings, raised on brick piers 1-3 m high, are built of which material?
- Wood
- Ice
- Glass
Show the answer
Wood
Wood!
Wood.
Wood.
-
Which month is the wettest in Georgetown?
In the WMO table, which month gets the most rain in Georgetown?
WMO table for Georgetown: which month has the highest rainfall, 327.7 mm?
- June
- February
- September
Show the answer
June
June!
June.
June (327.7 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Georgetown at the mouth of the Demerara on the north coast of South America.
- Explain why a town can have different names under different rulers.
- Describe why houses might be built on pillars in a low, wet coastal city.
- Read a rainfall table with two rainy seasons.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a capital city grow at the mouth of a river?
- Why could a town rebuilt after a fire use different building materials?
- How would a floating bridge be different from a bridge on pillars?
Try at home or in class
- House on stilts: build a small house on four pencil-pillars and test it with a tray of water.
- Name timeline: write the town's names in order on a strip of paper with their years.
- Rain bars: draw Georgetown's monthly rainfall and color its two rainy seasons.
Key vocabulary: mouth, capital, colony, pillar, reinforced concrete, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Georgetown, Guyana , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- Guyana: Regions, Major Towns and Localities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Bureau of Statistics Guyana
- Georgetown: monthly normals (1991–2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- World normals by region and country (normals period 1991-2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- Georgetown: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:20191122 Guyana 0082 Georgetown sRGB (49295764796).jpg (Dan Lundberg, 22 November 2019) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.