Leguan Island is a small island situated in the delta of the

Essequibo River The Essequibo River (Spanish: ''Río Esequibo'' originally called by Alonso de Ojeda ''Río Dulce'') is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana bor ...

on the coast of

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. The island is shaped like a gull wing and is nine miles (14 km) long and wide at its widest making it roughly square in area. When settlers first arrived on the island, they found many

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...

s, hence the name Leguan Island.

Demographics

Leguan has an estimated population of 2,500 as of 2018 living in 36 demarcated villages. Settlements include Maryville, Le Bagatelle, Richmond Hill and Uniform. Villages are supported by the Leguan Neighbourhood Democratic Council. The population has declined fairly rapidly during the past decade as residents leave to settle in more urban parts of

or migrate, often to the

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Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

or to various Caribbean islands. Leguan is primarily a rice farming and cattle rearing community, with roughly 3,000 acres devoted toward rice cultivation, 3,000 for cash crops, and another 2,500 for cattle. Other occupations on the island include government administration, teaching, health care and policing. Leguan is of roughly 82% East Indian ancestry and 17% African ancestry. The remaining approximately 1% of the population are foreign born Chinese, Canadian, American and English, most of whom are involved in community development work with religious or state organizations. A majority of Leguan residents are Hindu. The minority follow Islam, Christianity and the

Rastafari movement Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control o ...

. Leguan is situated in the Essequibo River, next to another island named Wakenaam. There are 6 rice factories located on the island; the largest one being Mustapha Pasha Rice Milling Enterprise, Baseeran Pasha Rice Milling Enterprise, Chand's Rice Milling Enterprise, RN Persaud & Company LTd & the Ojha's. The primary mode of transportation on Leguan is bicycle, and there is some taxi service but not bus. Many people also have motorbikes. A small group of people also have cars.

Infrastructure

The island is home to the regional government office for the Essequibo Islands. The regional office serves the other populated islands of the Essequibo River delta, Wakenaam Island and Hogg Island. Leguan has five elementary schools and one secondary school. The secondary school currently serves about 300 students in grades seven through eleven or forms one through five. Leguan is served by the Guyana Department of Transport and Harbours with two daily round-trips to and from

Parika Parika is a port village located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. Its ferry service is operated by the Ministry of Transportation, to and from the Essequibo Islands and West Demerara area. It is a hub for land transport, s ...

with large engine vessels, however as of 2020 the number of trips has been reduced due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

.{{cite news, url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/04/17/news/guyana/coronavirus-ministry-announces-revised-ferry-schedules/, title=Coronavirus: Ministry announces revised ferry schedules, website=Stabroek News, access-date=24 August 2020 Many Leguan residents travel to shop at the Thursday and Sunday open-air markets in

. Independent speed boat taxis also service the island regularly from the

stelling. Leguan only received electricity services from Guyana Power & Light company in 1997 and telephone services, both land-line and cellular, from Guyana Telephone & Telegraph in 1999. The island has three main paved roads, two running along the north and south coasts and a road that bisects the island connecting the coastal roads. The government of

built a brukup stelling on the island in 2005.

References

River islands of Guyana Essequibo Islands-West Demerara