Guayana

Guayana lies in the river country of northern South America, where the Essequibo and its tributaries flow through forests toward the Atlantic. Indigenous peoples inhabited these waterways before Europeans established trading posts. Around 1616 the Dutch founded a settlement on the Essequibo, and Fort Kyk-over-al stood near the meeting of the Cuyuni, Mazaruni and Essequibo. Relations with Indigenous communities were central to the survival and commerce of the river colony.