Geography of Guyana
[1] The land comprises three main geographical zones: the coastal plain, the white sand belt and the interior highlands.
[1] The plain ranges from five to six kilometers wide and extends from the Corentyne River in the east to the Venezuelan border in the northwest.
[1] The coastal plain is made up largely of alluvial mud swept out to sea by the Amazon River, carried north by ocean currents, and deposited on the Guyanese shores.
[1] The sandbars and shallow water are a major impediment to shipping, and incoming vessels must partially unload their cargoes offshore in order to reach the docks at Georgetown and New Amsterdam.
[1] These swamps, formed when water was prevented from flowing onto coastal croplands by a series of dams, serve as reservoirs during periods of drought.
[1] The largest of Guyana's three geographical regions is the interior highlands, a series of plateaus, flat-topped mountains, and savannahs that extend from the white sand belt to the country's southern borders.
[1] The sparse grasses of the savannah in general support only grazing, although Amerindian groups cultivate a few areas along the Rupununi River and in the foothills of the Kanuku Mountains.
[1] The Essequibo, the country's major river, runs from the Brazilian border in the south to a wide delta west of Georgetown.
[1] The rivers of eastern Guyana cut across the coastal zone, making east–west travel difficult, but they also provide limited water access to the interior.
[1] Swamps and areas of periodic flooding are found in all but the mountainous regions, and all new land projects require extensive drainage networks before they are suitable for agricultural use.
[1] The entire area is under the influence of the northeast trade winds, and during the midday and afternoon sea breezes bring relief to the coast.
[1] Locations in the interior, away from the moderating influence of the ocean, experience slightly wider variations in daily temperature, and nighttime readings as low as 12 °C (53.6 °F) have been recorded.
[1] Although rain falls throughout the year, about 50 percent of the annual total arrives in the summer rainy season that extends from May to the end of July along the coast and from April through September farther inland.
