Despite its small size, the nation of Guyana has long been home to a diverse collection of people. Around 1000 BCE, the savannas were corridors for hunter-gatherers. Next, the Carib and Taino people settled the area. In the early 1500s, Spain claimed Guyana. However, they did not actually settle the area. This task was left up to the Dutch. They established the first European settlement, Kijkorveral. During the 1700s, British settlers arrived in Guyana in large numbers. By 1831, they were in control of Guyana entirely. In 1834, slavery was abolished in Guyana. The freed black slaves created farming villages along the ocean. To replace black workers, Indian people were taken across the ocean. Guyana was granted independence from Britain on May 26, 1966. In modern times, Guyana and its neighbors have had a difficult relationship. The New River Triangle, a region between Guyana and Suriname, was disputed for many years. A U.N. tribunal eventually settled the dispute, awarding the region to Guyana. Relations between Guyana and Venezuela have been even more tense. The Guyana-Essequibo region, over half of Guyana’s land, has long been claimed by Venezuela. Many attempts have been made to settle this dispute but to no avail. In 2015, the oil company Exxon-Mobil found oil off the coast of Guyana-Essequibo. Venezuela, already extremely oil-rich, grew even more aggressive in their claims of the area even though oil is critical to Guyana’s economy. In 2021 the Venezuelan navy intercepted fishing boats carrying supplies to an Oil Platform. Guyana’s demographics, as evident by its history, are quite diverse. Indians represent about a half of Guyana’s population. These people are all descendants of the plantation workers brought by the British in the 1900s. The next largest group is Black, representing slightly more than one third of the population. Georgetown, Guyana’s largest city, is the center for Black people in the country. Amerindians represent less than 1/10 of the population. They reside on the far interior of Guyana, having settled that area thousands of years ago. Guyana’s demographics and history show how even a small nation can be full of captivating and curious features.