Angel Falls, one of the world's highest waterfalls, is located in the eastern part of the highlands. Guyana, formerly British Guiana, can be divided into three major geographical regions. A belt of alluvial soil, varying in width from about 8 to 65 km and mostly below sea level, extends along the coast. To the south lies the dense forest area that makes up about four-fifths of the country. The important mineral deposits of Guyana include bauxite, manganese, gold, diamonds, and kaolin.
Some petroleum is located offshore.
Suriname, formerly Dutch Guiana, consists of a swampy coastal plain ranging up to 80 km in width, a central plateau region containing broad savannas and a densely forested mountainous region to the south. The mining and processing of bauxite is the base of the economy. Additional industries include lumbering and plywood manufacturing and the manufacture of molasses and rum. The growing of rice in the coastal plains area has great potential for expansion. French Guiana is the only French territory on the American mainland, lying in the equatorial forest zone of South America.