Info for British Guiana

British Guiana was situated on the northeast coast of South America, had an area of 83,000 sq. mi. (214,969 sq. km.). Capital: Georgetown. Now called Guyana, it formerly included present-day Surinam, French Guiana, and parts of Brazil and Venezuela. It was sighted by Columbus in 1498. The first European settlement was made late in the 16th century by the Dutch. For the next 150 years, possession alternated between the Dutch and the British, with a short interval of French control. The British exercised de facto control after 1796, although the area, which included the Dutch colonies of Essequebo, Demerary and Berbice, was not ceded to them until 1814. From 1803 to 1831, Essequebo and Demerary were administered separately from Berbice. The three colonies were united in the British Crown Colony of British Guiana in 1831. British Guiana won internal self-government in 1952 and full independence under the traditional name of Guyana, on May 26, 1966. Notes of the British Caribbean Currency Board circulated from 1950-1965.