Guiana
Guiana names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Guiana ge-a'na, a tract of South America
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
ge-a'na, a tract of South America , lying on the Atlantic, between Brazil and Venezuela. It lies between the basins of the Amazon and the Orinoco. It is drained by a number of rivers. It is divided into three sections. Dutch Guiana in the middle has for its capital and seaport Paramaribo; the capital of French Guiana on the east is Cayenne, noted for the so-called pepper of that name; the capital city of British Guiana on the west is Georgetown. British Guiana has about 90,000 square miles of area, Dutch Guiana about half as much, and French Guiana about one-third as much. The coast is low and swampy. Tropical vegetation has grown far out into the sea. The interior rises gradually into low mountain ranges rich in gold, iron, sapphire, diamonds, mercury, garnets, and plumbago. The mineral wealth has, however, been little developed. The surface of the coast is exceedingly rich. The river valleys are clothed with tropical vegetation of great density and enormous height, resembling that of the Amazon. There are several hard, heavy woods valuable for furniture and cabinetmaking. The forests are almost impassable, save by way of the rivers. The enormous water lily , known as the Victoria Regia , is native in this region. Orchids climb from tree to tree. The region is a Paradise for the sloth, deer, anteater, armadillo, peccary, jaguar, tapir, monkey, innumerable bats, the manatee, alligator, and boa constrictor . Tropical birds of brilliant plumage, including tanagers, orioles, and hummingbirds, are found in abundance. It is said that the insects of this region, especially the flies and beetles, are unrivaled for brilliancy of color. The productions and commerce of the three districts are monopolized by the countries to which they belong. Cacao, sugar, coffee, bananas, rice, maize, rum, molasses, gold, timber, precious woods, diamonds and charcoal are exported. The population is a mixture of Indians, Italians, coolies from the East Indies, Chinese, Spaniards, and Portuguese, with, of course, a dominant colony of officials and traders in every district, representing the country to which it belongs.
Guiana BRITISH, a British colony in the N
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
BRITISH, a British colony in the N. E. part of South America; bounded by Dutch Guiana, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Atlantic Ocean; area, 89,480 square miles; capital, Georgetown. The surface of the country is diversified with low savannahs near the coast and mountainous toward the S., the highest mountain being Mt. Roraima, 7,500 feet. The chief products are gold, sugar, molasses, balata, rum, and rice. There are railroads, steamship communications with Great Britain and telegraph and telephone systems. Columbus is said to have discovered the Guianas in 1498. The Dutch made settlements in 1650 and the English in 1630. In 1804 the Guianas were divided between the English, French, and Dutch, as they now stand. In 1895 there was trouble between Great Britain and Venezuela, concerning the Guiana boundary. (1918) Pop. (1918) 460,000.
Guiana DUTCH, or SURINAM
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
DUTCH, or SURINAM, a colony of the Netherlands in the N. E. part of South America; bounded by Brazil, British Guiana, French Guiana, and the Atlantic Ocean; area, 46,050 square miles; capital, Paramaribo. The surface is low low along a the coast, gradually increasing in elevation toward the mountains in the S. The principal products and exports are sugar, cocoa, bananas, coffee, rice, maize, rum, molasses, and gold. There are public schools, savings banks, and steamship lines. In 1667 Dutch Guiana was ceded to the Netherlands by Great Britain in exchange for New Netherlands. It was held by the British in 1799-1802, and again in 1804-1816, when it was returned to the Netherlands with several other Dutch colonies. Pop. (1919) 167,827.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
All three Guianas listed here have changed hands or status. British Guiana, still "a British colony" in Collier's 1921 account, became independent Guyana in 1966; Dutch Guiana, or Surinam, became independent Suriname in 1975; French Guiana, which Aiton's lists as a third section, was made a full overseas department of France in 1946 and is today part of the European Union, hosting Europe's Kourou spaceport. The "trouble between Great Britain and Venezuela" over the boundary never truly ended: Venezuela still claims the Essequibo region, the case is before the International Court of Justice, and Caracas held a referendum on annexing it in 2023. Aiton's noted that mineral wealth had "been little developed"; since ExxonMobil's 2015 Stabroek discovery offshore, oil has made Guyana one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Collier's also undersold Mount Roraima, which stands about 2,810 metres (9,219 feet) rather than 7,500.
Written for this edition, 2026.