Essequibo - Definition and Overview

The Essequibo River is the longest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil-Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,000 kilometres through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean. There are countless rapids and waterfalls along the route of the Essequibo, and its 20km wide estuary is dotted with numerous small islands. It enters the Atlantic 21km from Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana.

The first European settlement in Guyana was built by the Dutch along the lower part of the Essequibo in 1615. The colonists remained on friendly terms with the Native American peoples of the area, establishing riverside sugar and cacao plantations.

Name

The river’s name is said to come from an Arawak word meaning “hearth-stones.” This is explained as being a reference to the Arawak custom of collecting stones from the river’s banks for their firesides.