The Berbice River, located in eastern Guyana

Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

, rises in the highlands of the Rupununi

Rupununi

Rupununi is a river and region in southern Guyana, South America, originating in the Kanuku Mountains. The Rupununi River runs from near the Brazilian border into the Essequibo River. The river during the flood season actually shares a watershed with the Amazon...

 region. The Berbice flows northward for 370 miles (595 km) through dense forests to the coastal plain. The river's tidal limit is between 160 and 320 km from the sea.

The town of New Amsterdam

New Amsterdam, Guyana

New Amsterdam , located in the East Berbice-Corentyne Region, 62 miles from the capital, Georgetown, is one of the largest towns in Guyana. It is located four miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean mouth of the Berbice River, on its eastern bank, immediately south of the Canje River...

 is situated on the river’s east bank, approximately four miles inside the river’s estuary, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. A new bridge over the river joins New Amsterdam to Rosignol

Rosignol

Rosignol is a small town on the west bank of the Berbice River in Guyana at .The town is important because it has a port, the Rosignol Stelling, that is the main crossing point on the western bank of the Berbice River...

. Other communities on the Berbice River include Everton, Mara, Takama, Kalkuni

Kalkuni

Kalkuni is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Malavalli taluk of Mandya district in Karnataka.-Demographics:As of 2001 India census, Kalkuni had a population of 8328 with 4342 males and 3986 females.-External links:...

 and Kwakwani

Kwakwani

Kwakwani is a village on the Berbice River in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region of Guyana, located at , altitude 44 Metres . Kwakwani is approximately 40 km south of Linden. Bauxite mining is the main industry....

.

Obstructed by shallows at its estuary, the Berbice River’s mouth is the location of Crab Island

Crab Island, Guyana

Crab Island is an island located in the mouth of the Berbice River in Guyana, located at .Crab Island is so named due to the presence of numerous crabs there, and is approximately one mile in circumference. Until the British took over Berbice in 1815, the Dutch had a fort here called St. Andries....

, opposite the mouth of the Canje River

Canje River

The Canje River, located in northeastern Guyana, is the main tributary of the Berbice River. It runs roughly parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast....

, the Berbice's main tributary.

On December 23, 2008, construction of the Berbice Bridge

Berbice Bridge

The Berbice Bridge is a pontoon bridge over the Berbice River near New Amsterdam in Guyana. The bridge is tolled and was opened on 23 December 2008....

 linking D’Edward Village, Crab Island, and the Corentyne Highway was completed.

History

In 1627, the settlement of Nassau (the name was used for many of the Dutch forts in the seventeenth century) was founded by the Dutch West India Company

Dutch West India Company

Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...

.