Guyana  is a country in north-eastern South America. It has an Atlantic Ocean coastline in the northeast, and lies between Suriname to the east and Venezuela to the west, with Brazil to the south. It is now the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay. The name Guyana (from Arawak Wayana) means "Land of many waters." It is related to the name Uruguay: River of the colorful birds, another country in South America. Guyana is a land whose modern look and demographic has been powerfully shaped by the influences of Dutch and British colonial times. In order to work their sugar plantations, the colonial powers first brought in African slaves and later, when slavery became illegal, Indian workers. Guyana became an independent nation in 1966, but the effects of colonialism remain. Tension between the descendants of African slaves and Indian workers, as well as a small indigenous population, has held back the country's ability to progress.

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