International success has greeted poet and novelist ER Braithwaite and the British-based actor Norman Beaton. The majority of Afro-Guyanese are Christian, usually Anglican, and there's also a handful of Black Muslims. Most of the East Indian population is Hindu, but there's a sizeable Muslim minority. Guyanese food is distinctive and usually based on seafood or creole dishes like pepperpot, a spicy stew cooked in bitter cassava juice. Added to this are East Indian dishes such as curries and roti .
Chinese food is also common.
Beverages include Banks beer, local rum, brandy and whisky, and delicious fruit punches. Roughly the size of the UK, Guyana is bordered by Venezuela to the west, Suriname to the east, and overshadowed by Brazil to the south. Its northern coast abuts the Atlantic Ocean. Thick rainforest covers great chunks of the interior, though southwestern Guyana features extensive grassland. Guyana's varied and spectacular wildlife includes brightly-plumed birds and mammals such as tapirs, ocelots and monkeys.