Grade Six Social Studies
Hello Boys and Girls!
How are you doing? I hope you are doing fine physically, mentally, and emotionally. You must stay healthy- drink lots of water, eat your fruits and vegetables and always try to exercise. It is only when you are healthy you would be able to concentrate on your academic studies. I do hope that by now you have created your study timetable and you are using it to help you organize and maximize your study time.
I believe you will excel not only at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) but also in every sphere of life. That’s why you must make the effort to focus your time and energy on understanding the concepts that you are taught weekly.
Stay safe! Wash your hands and continue social distancing to keep yourself and others protected from Covid-19.
In our last lesson, we studied the County of Essequibo. We discussed that this county was the first one in which the Dutch settled during the 16th century. The county of Essequibo is the largest and covers approximately ¾ or 75% of the country.
This we are going to continue learning about Counties of Guyana. We will examine the County of Demerara.
Counties of Guyana
The County of Demerara
Topic:
Sub-topic:
Specific Learning Outcomes:
In this week’s lesson we are going to learn about the County of Demerara: We are going to: i. Discuss the history of the County of Demerara. ii. Identify some of the important places in the county. iii. Discuss the main economic activities in the County of Demerara. iv. Identify the historical landmarks found in the County of Demerara.
THE COUNTY OF DEMERARA Let’s look at The History of The County of Demerara
Demerara (Dutch: Demerary, [ˌdeːmәˈraːri]) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 until 1815. It was merged with Essequibo in 1812 by the British who took control. It formally became a British colony in 1815 till Demerara-Essequibo was merged with Berbice to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831. In 1838, it became a county of British Guiana till 1958. In 1966, British Guiana gained independence as Guyana and in 1970 it became a republic as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. It was located around the lower course of the Demerara River, and its main settlement was Georgetown.
The name “Demerara” comes from a variant of the Arawak word “Immenary” or “Dumaruni”, which means “river of the letter wood” (wood of Brosimum guianense tree). Demerara sugar is so named because originally, it came from sugarcane fields in the colony of Demerara.
Fact/TIP: Demerara is the smallest but the most important county. This county is important because the capital city and chief port, Georgetown, is located there. The seat of Government is also located there.
Geography Tip:
Demerara is separated from Essequibo by the Boerasirie River and from Berbice by the Abary River.
Some important places in the county of Demerara are:
The capital city and chief port, Georgetown situated on the eastern bank at the mouth of the Demerara River.
Georgetown (Guyanese Creole English: Jarjtown) is the capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the “Garden City of the Caribbean.” It is the retail, administrative, and financial services centre of the country, and the city accounts for a large portion of Guyana’s GDP. The city recorded a population of 118,363 in the 2012 census.
All executive departments of Guyana’s government are located in the city, including Parliament Building, Guyana’s Legislative Building and the Court of Appeals, Guyana’s highest judicial court. The State House (the official residence of the head of state), as well as the offices and residence of the head of government, are both located in the city. The CARICOM headquarters is also based in Georgetown.
Georgetown is also known for its British colonial architecture, including the tall painted-timber St. George’s Cathedral and the iconic Stabroek Market.
The bauxite town, Linden is situated about 107.2 km (67 miles) up the Demerara River. It is a combination of three main communities:
1. MacKenzie
2. Wismar
3. Christianburg.
La Bonne Intention/Diamond and Enmore have been merged to become the East Demerara Sugar Estate.
FACT/TIP:
Some institutions of higher learning in the county of Demerara are:
● The University of Guyana
● The Cyril Potter College of Education ● The Government Technical Institute ● Carnegie School of Home Economics ● Guyana School of Agriculture
Let’s Look At the University of Guyana
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, is Guy-ana’s national higher education institution. It was established in April 1963 with the following Mission: “To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation, and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical enquiry.”
The University of Guyana offers more than 60 under-graduate and graduate programmes, including in Natural Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Forestry, Urban Planning and Management, Tourism Studies, Education, Crea-tive Arts, Economics, Law, Medicine, Optometry and Nursing. Several online programmes are available, as are extramural classes through the IDCE at four locations, in Georgetown and the towns of Anna Regina, Essequibo; Linden, Upper Demerara; and New Amsterdam, Berbice. The institution has a 2016 enrollment of some 8,000 students, and it has graduated more than 20,000 students, who have gone on to represent all professional careers locally, regionally and internationally. The university also is a major contributor to the public and private sectors and to the national economy of Guyana.
Guyana School of Agriculture
The Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) is a post-secondary college of agricultural education in Guyana, established in 1963 by Dr. Cheddi Jagan. It