Grade Six Social Studies
Region Two, Pomeroon-Supenaam Hello Boys and Girls.
How are you? I do hope you are well physically and mentally. How are you preparing for your end-of-term examinations? The examinations are designed to check how well you understand what your teacher has been teaching during the term. The reviews are critical and must be taken seriously. Please ensure you spend time preparing for all your examinations. You would need a particular study timetable for these examinations. Ask your parents or guardians to guide you to develop a plan; when the schedule is created, you must discipline yourself and follow the timetable for your revision. Remember, success only comes through hard work and dedication.
Last week we started looking at Administrative Regions in Guyana. We discussed that in 1980 the Constitution provided for the whole of Guyana to be divided into ten (10) sections called Administrative Regions. The primary purpose for the country to be divided into Ten (10) Administrative Regions is to ensure effective governance. We also mentioned each administrative Region as a name. The name of each Administrative Region tells of its boundaries. The division of the regions aids in the governance of the country.
Today we are going to look at Region Two, Pomeroon-Supenaam. We will: ● Describe the Region
● Examine the map of the Region
● Identify main resources
● Discuss the main economic activities
● Identify the town in this Region
● Identify important Places found in the Region
Let’s begin.
Region Two is named after the Pomeroon and the Supenaam rivers. These rivers also serve as boundaries for the Region. The Region has an area of 2140 square miles (5560 square kilometers).
This Region is comprised of three natural regions. They are:
● A Low Coastal Plain
● A Forested Highland and
● A part of the Hilly Sand and Clay Region
Did you know? One of Guyana’s towns is found in this Region. What is its name? If you said Anna Regina, then you are correct. This town has a fascinating history. Before the area was made into a town, eighteen small villages were merged into a village district. This was in the year 1872. In 1990, these eighteen villages, which comprised agricultural and residential areas covering an area of about nine square miles, were incorporated into a town.
Fact/Tip: The Region has two national monuments. Damon’s Cross is a national monument found in the Churchyard at La Belle Alliance, and a monument was erected in the village of Anna Regina in July 1988.
The Damon Monument is located at Damon Square in Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast. The monument was built to recognize the 28-year-old mulatto domestic servant, Damon, who lived on Plantation Richmond, which Mr. Charles Bean owned. The structure was designed by Guyanese sculptor Mr. Ivor Thom and was unveiled by then Prime Minister Hamilton Green on July 31, 1988, to mark the 150th anniversary of Emancipation. It was funded by the Government of Guyana and was referred to as a monument of inspiration to all Guyanese people by Dr. Ptolemy Reid. The statue sits on a giant chair made of bronze and lies on a concrete plinth. The structure’s overall weight is 3,000 kilograms (3 tons), with a total height of 2.7 metres (9 feet).
Important Places found in Region Two:
● ● ●
Anna Regina (Town)
Hampton Court (Regional cricket ground)
Tapakuma, Reliance, and Capoey Lakes (the Tapakuma project links the three lakes into one, forming a large water conservancy that supplies water for irrigation of rice fields)
Let’s look at the primary resources in this Region.
Remember, a resource is anything useful to man.
The soil in this Region is highly fertile got agricultural production and the region produces crops such as rice, coffee, ground provisions, citrus fruits, vegetables, and coconuts.
Fact/Tip: Lumber accounts for another source of income in the Region. This is harvested from areas along the banks of rivers where the trees grow more abundantly. Logs are cut and tied into rafts before being floated down the river to the sawmills. There they are cut into suitable building material, much of which is exported.
What is the main economic activity in Region Two?
The type of resources present in the Region often determines the main economic activity of a region or community. Therefore the main economic activity is agriculture, comprising primarily farming and logging. Note: Some persons engage in cattle rearing.
Traditional Economic Activities in Region Two
Some of the traditional economic activities are farming and hunting. In earlier times, the blowpipe and bows and arrows were used by indigenous residents. In many homes around Guyana, items such as these are now used as decorations. At the present time, people prefer to use shotguns for hunting animals that are used as food. Smoking the meat, then drying it in the sun, is one of the ways it is preserved in those traditional Amerindian villages.
Lakes in Region Two
Two lakes, The Tapakuma and the Capoey are connected to several creeks. Therefore, they afford irrigation for the many small and large rice-producing areas. The large water conservancy is called the Tapakuma Project.
Capoey Lake in
The main road runs through the villages. It runs along the coast from Supenaam to Charity. Villagers live mainly on either side of the road. Some of the villages are Cotton