Demerara
Demerara (Dutch: Demerary, [ˌdeːməˈraːri]) 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 until Demerara-Essequibo was merged with Berbice to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831. In 1838, it became a county of British Guiana until 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.
Kolonie Demerary (1745–1803) Colony of Demerara (1803–1812) County of Demerara (1838–1958) Demerara | |||||||||
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| 1745–1812 1838–1958 | |||||||||
Flag (1627–1792) Flag (1803–1812) | |||||||||
The Demerara colony in 1759 (Note this map has East at its top.) See here for its exact location (6° 48' N 58° 10' W). | |||||||||
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| Capital | Fort Zeelandia (1745–1755) Borsselen (1755–1782) Stabroek (1782–1815) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Dutch, English, Guyanese Creole, Guyanese Hindustani, Tamil, South Asian languages, African languages, Akawaio, Macushi, Waiwai, Arawakan, Patamona, Warrau, Carib, Wapishana, Arekuna, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Chinese | ||||||||
| Religion | Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Afro-American religions, Traditional African religions, Indigenous religions | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established as a Dutch West India Company colony | 18 October 1745 | ||||||||
| 24–27 February 1781 | |||||||||
| 22 January 1782 | |||||||||
| 1783 | |||||||||
• Colony of the Dutch Republic | 1 January 1792 | ||||||||
| 27 March 1802 | |||||||||
| 28 April 1812 | |||||||||
| 20 November 1815 | |||||||||
| 21 July 1831 | |||||||||
• County of Demerara | 1838 | ||||||||
• Merged into the new regions | 1958 | ||||||||
| Currency | Spanish dollar, Dutch guilder, British Guiana dollar, British West Indies dollar | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Guyana | ||||||||
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| History of Guyana | ||||||||||||||
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| Guyana portal | ||||||||||||||
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.