Wakenaam is an island of about at the mouth 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 b ...
of
Guyana. One of the largest islands (the others being
Leguan and
Hogg Island) in the Essequibo Islands group, it was settled at one time by the Dutch in the 18th Century; the name Wakenaam is Dutch meaning "waiting for a name"
and still contains old Dutch graves at various locations on the island. The island, like most other islands in the Essequibo River in Guyana, is characterized by green vegetation, blue skies and cool breeze from the Atlantic. Wakenaam has multiple villages which include Maria's Pleasure, Good Success, Sans Souci, Melville, Belle Plaine,
Sarah,
Zeelandia, Friendship, Bank Hall, Meer Zorg, Caledonia, Free and Easy, Arthurville, Palmyra,
Maria Johanna, Domburg, Fredericksburg,
Noitgedacht, Rush Brook and Ridge.
Population
The island has population of approximately 4,000 people as of 2016.
The island population consists of mainly people of Indian and African descent, with smaller percentages of the descendants of other races.
Economy
The economy of Wakenaam is based on
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
. Farming is the main occupation. Farmers grow rice, coconut and various vegetables and roots.
Its inhabitants also raise cattle both for milk and for meat and engage in fishing, though this is done on a small, private scale.
Notable people
*
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan (born 23 June 1980) is a cricketer of Indo-Guyanese origin who played as a batsman. He is a former member and former captain of the West Indies cricket team, in all formats. Sarwan went on to average over 40 in both the ...
(1980),
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
batsman
Gallery
Riding tru Wakenaam - panoramio (1).jpg
Coconut Grove in Wakenaam - panoramio.jpg,
Coconut Grove in Wakenaam - panoramio (3).jpg,
Coconut and Banana in Wakenaam - panoramio.jpg,
Riding tru Wakenaam - panoramio.jpg,
References
External links
{{commons category
Wakenaam Island
River islands of Guyana
Essequibo Islands-West Demerara