Georgetown, city (1985 est. pop. 75,000), capital and largest city of Guyana, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Demerara River. It was known as Stabroek when the Dutch controlled the region and was renamed Georgetown in 1812, after the British had occupied the colony during the Napoleonic Wars. The city has wide, tree-lined streets, many with canals reminiscent of the Dutch period. The tropical botanical gardens are among the finest in the world, and the markets operated by East Indians are transplants of Asian culture. Georgetown has a hot and humid climate partially relieved by year-round ocean winds. Below sea level at high tide, the city is protected by a mole. Sugar (the city shipped the prized Demerara sugar), timber, balata, bauxite, gold, and diamonds are brought to Georgetown by river and rail and are exported. Georgetown is the seat of the Caribbean Community's secretariat and the Univ. of Guyana; St. George's Cathedral is a fine example of Victorian wooden architecture.
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