Demerara

Demerara, a river and a province in British Guiana, on the N.E coast of South America. The former rises in lat. 5° 20' N., and, after a course to the N. of about 180 miles, flows into the sea between the Berbice and Essequibo rivers in lat. 6° 50 N., long. 58° 20' W., forming a broad estuary and being navigable for 100 miles. The province is the most central of the three that make up the colony of British Guiana (q.v.), and has a coast-line of 100 miles. Originally occupied by the Dutch, it was finally added to England by the Treaty of Paris, 1814. The soil is alluvial and rich near the coast; but about 20 miles inland there is a belt of sand, and beyond these rise steep granitic ranges, of which Roraima is the highest point. Georgetown, formerly Stabrock, the capital and the centre of government, is at the mouth of the Demerara river, which is guarded by Fort Frederick William, an obsolete structure, and is provided with a lighthouse. A railway connects the town with Mahaica to the east.