NGSA Social Studies key terms

The whole area of land drained by a river and its tributaries, bounded by higher ground called the watershed. Guyana's largest is the Essequibo basin, which covers most of the country.

The ridge of high land separating one drainage basin from another. Rain falling on opposite sides of a watershed flows into different river systems and eventually reaches the sea at different points.

A smaller river or stream that flows into a larger one. Guyana's Essequibo is joined by major tributaries such as the Rupununi, Potaro and Cuyuni before reaching the Atlantic.

A large area of open grassland and scattered woodland in south-western Guyana, used mainly for cattle rearing. It is divided into North and South Rupununi and is seasonally cut off from the coast by flooding.

Grassland regions lying inland from the coastal plain, including the Rupununi. They have distinct wet and dry seasons, support ranching, and differ sharply in landscape and settlement from the coast.

The low, flat strip of land along Guyana's Atlantic coast where most of the population lives. Much of it lies below high-tide level and depends on sea defences and drainage canals.

A sluice gate built into a sea defence or canal bank that lets excess water drain out at low tide but closes to keep out the sea at high tide. Kokers are vital to drainage on Guyana's coast.

Engineering works such as earthen dams, concrete walls and riprap that protect low-lying coastal land from flooding by the sea. Maintaining them is a major public expense in Guyana.

Steady winds blowing from the subtropical high-pressure belts towards the Equator, deflected by the Earth's rotation. In Guyana they help bring the north-east winds and seasonal rainfall.

The belt near the Equator where the north-east and south-east trade winds meet, causing rising air, cloud and heavy rain. Its seasonal movement produces Guyana's wet and dry seasons.

A term used in Guyana, especially in the Rupununi, for a seasonal wetland or flooded savannah area. Kanus hold water in the wet season and dry out partly in the dry season.

Salt-tolerant trees with tangled roots that grow along tropical shorelines and river mouths. Guyana's mangroves shelter young fish, trap mud, and help protect the coast from erosion and waves.

A territory ruled and settled by a distant country, which controls its government and often its economy. Guyana was a British colony from 1814 until independence in 1966.

The point at which a territory becomes a self-governing sovereign state, free of colonial rule. Guyana became independent on 26 May 1966, with Forbes Burnham as its first Prime Minister.

A state whose head of state is a president rather than a monarch. Guyana became a republic on 23 February 1970, within the Commonwealth, replacing the Queen as head of state.

The body of fundamental rules setting out how a state is governed, the powers of its institutions, and the rights of citizens. Guyana's current Constitution dates from 1980 and has been amended since.

A system in which the president is both head of state and head of government, with strong powers over the cabinet and administration. Guyana adopted this system under its 1980 Constitution.

Guyana's elected legislature, which makes laws, approves the budget and scrutinises the government. Its members are chosen through a system of proportional representation at general elections.

An electoral system in which parties receive seats roughly in proportion to the share of votes they win. Guyana uses a list-based form of it to elect members of the National Assembly.

Administration of towns, villages and rural districts by elected or appointed local bodies such as town councils and neighbourhood democratic councils. It handles local services like roads, markets and drainage.

The legal status of belonging to a state, carrying rights such as voting and protection, and duties such as obeying the law and paying taxes. Guyana's rules on citizenship are set out in its Constitution.

A Spanish colonial grant giving a settler the right to forced labour from a group of indigenous people. It was used in Spanish America and is part of the wider colonial history of the Caribbean region.

A system in which labourers were contracted to work for a fixed number of years, often on plantations, in return for passage and wages. Indentured workers from India and elsewhere came to British Guiana after slavery ended.

The legal ending of slavery. In the British Empire this took effect in 1834, with a period of apprenticeship that ended in 1838, after which formerly enslaved people left many plantations.

A large estate growing a cash crop such as sugar or cotton, usually worked by enslaved or indentured labour. Plantations shaped Guyana's settlement pattern, economy and land ownership.

An ore from which aluminium is extracted. Mining at Linden and in the Berbice area was long a pillar of Guyana's economy alongside sugar and rice, though its importance has declined.

A precious metal mined in Guyana's interior and a major export earner. Small- and medium-scale gold mining supports many interior communities but raises concerns about mercury pollution and river siltation.

The total value of goods and services produced within a country in a given period. Guyana's GDP has grown sharply since offshore oil production began, changing its economic profile.

A crop grown mainly to be sold rather than consumed by the farmer. Sugar and rice are Guyana's traditional cash crops, while coconuts, citrus and other crops also contribute.

A regional organisation, usually called CARICOM, promoting economic integration and cooperation among Caribbean states. Its headquarters are in Georgetown, Guyana, and it includes a single market arrangement.

An arrangement within CARICOM intended to allow the free movement of goods, services, capital and skilled people across member states. It deepens cooperation beyond a simple customs union.

A group or chain of islands, such as the Lesser Antilles. Archipelagos often share volcanic or coral origins and face particular challenges of small size and transport between islands.

The theory that the Earth's outer shell is divided into moving plates whose collisions and separations cause earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain building. It explains features such as the Andes and Caribbean island arcs.

The period from the late eighteenth century when machine production, factories and new transport transformed economies, beginning in Britain. It increased demand for raw materials and shaped colonial trade.

The relationship between distance on a map and distance on the ground, often shown as a ratio or bar. A large-scale map shows a small area in more detail than a small-scale map.

A set of numbers locating a point on a map by its position within numbered grid squares, normally giving the easting before the northing. Four-figure references identify a square; six-figure ones pinpoint a spot.

A line on a map joining points of equal height above sea level. Closely spaced contours show steep slopes, widely spaced ones show gentle slopes, and they reveal landforms such as hills and valleys.

Evidence created at the time of an event by someone with direct knowledge, such as a letter, photograph, official record or eyewitness account. Historians use it as raw material for interpretation.

An account produced after an event, often by someone without direct involvement, such as a textbook or later history. It interprets and draws on primary sources and should be assessed for bias and reliability.

A person of mixed or locally born descent, or a language that develops from contact between different language groups. In the Caribbean the term carries particular social and cultural meanings.

A society in which several distinct cultural or ethnic groups live side by side while maintaining their own traditions. Guyana is often described this way, with African, Indian, indigenous and other heritages.

Guyana's annual festival marking the start of the republic, held around 23 February. It features parades, costumes, music and competitions and is a national celebration of identity.

An established pattern of behaviour and organisation that meets a basic social need, such as the family, school, religion, or government. Institutions shape how people are socialised and how society is ordered.