Guyana National Park

Urban park in Georgetown, Guyana

Guyana National Park

The National Park
Type| Urban park
Location| Thomas Lands, Georgetown, Guyana
Coordinates| 6°49′17″N 58°09′02″W﻿ / ﻿6.82125°N 58.15044°W﻿ / 6.82125; -58.15044
Area| 57 acres (23 ha)[1]
Created| 1965
Operated by| National Parks Commission (NPC)[2][3]

Guyana National Park[2] (normally simply the National Park) is an urban park in Georgetown, Guyana and was opened with Queen Elizabeth II in attendance and was formerly named Queen Elizabeth II National Park in honour of her state visit.

Despite its name of "national park", it is not a natural reserve. It was built on a former golf club.[1]

## Description

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There is a circular road that is popular with joggers and other city dwellers looking to exercise.[4]

In the north of the park, there is a pond with captive manatees. [5] There are also some in the Botanical Gardens several blocks to the south.

The Children’s Millennium Monument was unveiled in the park in 2000. It is a simple sculpture with a smiling sun, a symbol of the strength and growth of Guyana's children.[3] There is also another beautiful monument: the Wakili Totem Pole. This carving was revealed in 2015. It represents the balance between man and nature.

On 5 May 1988, a bronze sculpture of the Whitby who brought the first Indian indentured labourers to Guyana was presented to the people of Guyana by the Indian government. It is located in the park.[6]

## History

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* c. 1800–1923: Plantation Thomas, a sugar estate.[7]
* 1923–1965: the Demerara Golf Club
* 1965: The park was established, named the Queen Elizabeth II National Park in anticipation of the queen's visit to the country.
* February 1966: The park officially opened, with the queen in attendance.[8][3]
* May 1966: The park was renamed simply as "the National Park" in recognition of the country's independence.[1]

## Environs

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* North: sports grounds; and beyond them, the Seawall and Shell Beach.
* East: the Guyana Defence Force's Base Camp Ayangana.
* South: some plots of land and Queen's College.
* West: Marian Academy.

## See also

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* Also in Georgetown:
* Guyana Botanical Gardens
* Promenade Gardens
* Kaieteur National Park: a natural park in Guyana

## References

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1. ^ a b c National Parks Commission (2009). "Annual Report" (PDF). p. 4\. "The National Park was established in 1965 and named the Queen Elizabeth II National Park [...] It was officially opened on February 5, 1966 and, later that year, renamed to the National Park when Guyana attained independence. The National Park occupies 57 acres of land at Thomas Lands and is located on part of what was formerly Plantation Thomas."
2. ^ a b "National Park enhanced with solar energy". Department of Public Information. Guyana. 24 March 2018. "The Guyana National Park is now further enhanced [...]"
3. ^ a b c "Historic Thomaslands". National Trust of Guyana. "The National Park, located in Thomas Lands, Georgetown, was formerly occupied by the Demerara (Georgetown) Golf Club since 1923. It was renamed the Queen Elizabeth II National Park in 1965 in honour of the Queen's visit to the country. On May 25, 1966, moments to midnight, the park was the scene for one of the most historic events in Guyana's history; the Union Jack was lowered and the Golden Arrow Head was hoisted marking the birth of an independent nation. The park occupies approximately 0.23 kilometres (57 acres) and is home to several monuments. It is utilized for cultural, educational and recreational activities and is managed by the National Parks Commission."
4. ^ "A conversation with a runner in the National Park". Guyana Chronicle. 24 October 2018. "the National Park is an oasis. [...] Guyanese of all socio-economic statuses, race, religions, and creed seem to come together in a common cause of a basic need for human relaxation through exercise and a good old gaff.."
5. ^ "Abary Creek manatees under threat". Stabroek News. 30 September 2008. "there are 23 manatees [...] between the Botanical Gardens and the National Park. They have been there for more than 129 years [since c. 1879], and reports are that they came from the Abary Creek. The manatees are first placed in a "holding pond" at the Botanical Gardens where scientific studies are conducted."
6. ^ Mahendra Sukhdeo. "Project proposal: installation of a monument for the unknown Fiji Girmitiyas". Academia. p. 4. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
7. ^ Davy, John (1854). The West Indies, Before and Since Slave Emancipation. Cambridge University. p. 359\. ISBN 978-1-108-02073-2. "Plantation Thomas […] (George Town) […] is I believe the oldest sugar estate in British Guiana; it must be, at least, 50 years in cultivation, and every acre of it still under cane crop without manure."
8. ^ "A royal visit to welcome Guyana's independence". Guyana Times. 26 May 2019. "If Friday's schedule was considered tight, Saturday's [Feb. 5, 1966] was even tighter. [...] Later that afternoon, she was again bound for another engagement, this time to open the Queen Elizabeth National Park on Thomas Lands." [Errata: The article wrote "Friday, February" 2 [sic], but that Friday was Feb. 4, the day before she visited the park.]

*[c.]: circa