Visitors are advised to check with the nearest embassy, consulate or travel agent. The Atlantic Ocean stretches for 270 miles along the coast of Guyana, but the country's major thrust is southward and inland, for a distance of 450 miles. Guyana borders on Venezuela in the west, Brazil in the south, and Suriname in the east. T here are three distinct geographical areas - the coastal belt, the forested and mountainous area, and the savannah zone. The area actually lies several feet below sea level at high tide, having been reclaimed in order to take advantage of the enormously rich alluvial soil deposited by ocean currents from the Amazon.
F rom the coastal zone, the land rises to a plateau of dense equatorial forest and swamp.
Minerals are found in the area - the most valuable being bauxite, diamonds, gold and manganese. Further inland, the forest plateau rises to the savannah country of the southwest, called the Rupununi. The sparse population of this area is predominantly Amerindian. T he climate in Guyana is hot but pleasant for most of the year, particularly in the coastal belt, which is cooled by the sea breeze. The rainy season occurs in May and June, and then again in December and January, with an average annual rainfall of 91 inches.