Guyana is the only sovereign South American state with English as its official language.
English became central to Guyana’s administration during British colonial rule, when the territory was known as British Guiana. Guyana gained independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966. English remains the official language of government, education, and formal public life.
Guyana’s everyday linguistic landscape is more diverse than the official-language fact suggests. Guyanese Creole, an English-based creole, is widely spoken, while Caribbean Hindustani, languages of Indigenous peoples, Portuguese, and other languages also occur in the country.
The country is sometimes confused with Belize, another English-speaking former British colony in the wider Caribbean region, but Belize is in Central America. Guyana is geographically part of South America and lies on the continent’s northeastern coast.