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Fast Facts
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Co-operative Republic of Guyana 215,000 sq km (83,000 square miles) 825,000 Georgetown (pop 200,000) 51% East Indian, 43% Afro-Guyanese, 4% Amerindian, 2% European & Chinese English (though most Guyanese speak a creole), also Hindi and Urdu Guyana Dollar 57% Christian, 33% Hindu, 9% Muslim Democracy Bharrat Jagdeo |
The National Flag The Golden Arrowhead, Guyana's National Flag has FIVE symbolic colors: Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains, I pledge myself to honor always the Flag of Guyana, and to be loyal to my country,
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GREEN represents the agricultural and forested nature of Guyana
WHITE symbolizes the rivers and water potential of the country
GOLDEN arrow represents Guyana's mineral wealth
BLACK portrays the endurance that will sustain the forward thrust of the Guyanese people
RED represents the zeal and dynamic nature of nation-building which lies before the young and independent Guyana.
The Coat-Of-Arms
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The national Coat-of-Arms of Guyana is a composite of motifs suggested in separate designs by three Guyanese artists. The design is interpreted as follows:
The Amerindian head-dress symbolizes the Amerindians as the indigenous people of the country. The two diamonds at the side of the head-dress represent the country's mining industry. The helmet is the monarchial insignia. The two jaguars holding a pick axe, a sugar cane and a stalk of rice symbolize labor and the two main agricultural industries of the country - sugar and rice. The shield which is decorated with the National Flower, the Victoria Regia Lily, is to protect the nation. The three blue wavy lines represent the many waters of Guyana. The Canje Pheasant, the National Bird, at the bottom of the shield represents a rare bird found principally in this part of the world and also the rich fauna of Guyana. The streamer below the shield bears the Nation's Motto
"ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, ONE DESTINY".
The National Flower
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The Victoria Regia, a water lily, was discovered by Robert Schomburgk, a German Botanist in 1837, while leading an expedition into the interior of what was then British Guiana. In its native habitat of tropical America, the plant is perennial. It grows in 4 to 6 feet of water, the base of the stems being situated in soft mud. From each plant there are seldom more than 4 or 5 leaves. The largest flowers can measure 10 inches to one foot in diameter. When first open, they are white with a sweet smell rather like a ripe fruit; by the second day they are fully expanded and a deeper pink; by the third day, they start to wither.
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One of the other national symbols chosen for Guyana is a bird - the Hoatzin or Canje Pheasant. The adult Hoatzin is about 22 inches long from beak to tail. Its color is reddish-brown streaked with green. The under parts are pale brown. The feathers on its shoulder and sides are edged with creamy-white. There is a crest of very long feathers on its head which gives the bird an almost majestic look. The Hoatzin has a very short and very thick beak, and the skin around the crimson eye is of a pale blue color.This bird can be found throughout the year in areas along the banks of the Berbice River and its tributary, the Canje Creek, and to some extent, on the Abary, Mahaicony and Mahaica Rivers. It feeds on the leaves of aquatic vegetation. The nesting period for the Hoatzin, commonly known as the Canje Pheasant, is usually from April to September.
The National Anthem
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Made rich by the sunshine and lush by the rains,
Set gemlike and fair between mountains and sea,
Your children salute you, dear land of the free.
Green land of Guyana, our heroes of yore,
Both bondsmen and free, laid their bones on your shore;
This soil so they hallowed, and from them are we,
All sons of one mother, Guyana the free.
Great land of Guyana, diverse though our strains,
We are born of their sacrifice, heirs of their pains,
And ours is the glory their eyes did not see,
One land of six peoples, united and free.
Dear land of Guyana, to you will we give
Our homage, our service, each day that we live;
God guard you, great Mother, and make us to be
More worthy our heritage - land of the free.
The National Pledge
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To be obedient to the laws of Guyana, to love my fellow citizens,
and to dedicate my energies towards the happiness and prosperity of Guyana.
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