Guyana
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America. Culturally Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island. There are nine Native American tribes scattered across Guyana. These are Wai Wai, Machushis, Patamonas, Arawak, Caribs, Wapishana, Arecunas, Akawaios, Warraus. However,most mentions are made of the Arawak and Carib tribes of Native Americans whose tribes dominated Guyana. Although Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were the first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). The British assumed control in the late 18th century, and the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana. Since Independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of the Essequibo river. Letters from Simon Bolivar warned the British government about the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land the Venezuelans claimed was theirs. In 1899 an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to Great Britain. Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations. Guyana has ratified the treaty. Some of Guyana's highest mountains are Mount Ayanganna , Monte Caburaí, and Mount Roraima the highest mountain in Guyana) on the Brazil-Guyana-Venezuela tripoint border, part of the Pakaraima range.There are also many volcanic escarpments and waterfalls, including Kaieteur Falls. North of the Rupununi River lies the Rupununi savannah, south of which lie the Kanuku Mountains. The four longest rivers are the Essequibo at 1,010 kilometres ( long, the Courantyne River at 724 kilometres , the Berbice at 595 kilometres, and the Demerara at 346 kilometres The Corentyne river forms the border with Suriname. Data from a 2002 census on religious affiliation indicates that approximately 57% of the population is Christian, 28% is Hindu, and 7% is Muslim. An estimated 4% of the population does not profess any religion.