Georgetown Capital and largest city of Guyana, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Demerara River. It was known as Stabroek when the Dutch controlled the region and was renamed Georgetown in 1812, after the British had occupied the colony during the Napoleonic Wars. The city has wide, tree-lined streets, many with lily-covered canals reminiscent of the Dutch period. The tropical botanical gardens are among the finest in the world, and the markets operated by East Indians are curious transplants of Asian culture. Georgetown has a hot and humid climate partially relieved by year-round ocean winds. Below sea level at high tide, the city is protected by a mole. Sugar, timber, balata, bauxite, gold, and diamonds are brought to Georgetown by river and rail and are exported.
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