Demerara River
The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres without tributaries until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown, Guyana's largest seaport and capital, is situated on the river's mouth. The Demerara's estuary is narrow and the flowrate is rapid. This scouring action maintains a 5-6 metre deep direct channel to the ocean. The Demerara's width and depth allow oceangoing vessels to navigate up to Linden (105km from the mouth), while smaller vessels may reach up to Malali (245km from the mouth). Beyond Malali, numerous rapids make further upstream travel impossible. A Dutch colony of the same name (see Demerara) was situated along the river's banks. The colony founded the sugarcane industry that continues to thrive today. Sugar from this industry is used to make the widely exported El Dorado Rum [1]. Bauxite is also mined around the Demerara, and Linden is a major export centre.
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