Dutch Guiana
Encyclopedia
Dutch Guiana, also known as Netherlands Guyana or Dutch Guyana (Dutch
: Nederlands Guiana), is the name given to various Dutch colonies on the northern coast of South America
, created by the Dutch West India Company
. These colonies consisted of the land in between the Essequibo River
and the Amazon River
, an area known at the time in Dutch as De wilde kust ("the wild coast"). Today, the region is occupied by the present-day nations of Guyana
and Suriname
.
cartographer Jodocus Hondius
. Beginning in 1600, the colonies were settled by Dutch colonists, most of whom came from the province of Zeeland
. Trading posts were established near various rivers, including the Pomeroon
, Essequibo
, Berbice
, and Suriname
rivers. Many small commercial establishments, mostly bartering posts, were founded by French
, Dutch
, and English
colonists. Due to the effects of disease and attacks from natives, these colonies rarely lasted long.
The Dutch West India Company
was created in 1621, and given unsupervised control of the colonies in South America. The colony was administered by Abraham van Peere
, a Dutch explorer who had founded the settlement of Berbice
. After the Third Anglo-Dutch War
, England ceded the territory of modern-day Suriname
, in exchange for New Amsterdam
.
Dutch Guiana was not a political entity, but rather a geographical indication. The colonies that formed along Dutch Guiana were, initially, controlled by several entities. Essequibo
and Demerara
were controlled by the Dutch West India Company
, while Berbice
and Suriname
were controlled by the Society of Berbice
and the Society of Suriname
, respectively. Cayenne
(French Guiana
) was also briefly controlled by the Dutch between 1660 and 1664, and again between 1676 and 1677.
Under the Batavian Republic
, much of Dutch Guiana was once again occupied by the British. After the Napoleonic Wars
in 1814, Britain gained control of the three colonies (Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo) west of the Courantyne River
. These three colonies became British Guiana
. After 1815, there were five Guianas, referred to by their dominant languages: Spanish Guayana (Venezuela
), British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, French Guiana
, and Portuguese Guiana (Brazil
).
The colony that remained continued to be a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
until 1975, when the region became independent as the Republic of Suriname
.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Nederlands Guiana), is the name given to various Dutch colonies on the northern coast of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, created 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...
. These colonies consisted of the land in between the Essequibo River
Essequibo River
The Esequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil-Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,010 km through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean.-Geography:There are countless...
and the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
, an area known at the time in Dutch as De wilde kust ("the wild coast"). Today, the region is occupied by the present-day nations of 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...
and Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
.
History
The first written reference to the region was in a 1599 map, drawn by FlemishFlemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
cartographer Jodocus Hondius
Jodocus Hondius
Jodocus Hondius , sometimes called Jodocus Hondius the Elder to distinguish him from his son Henricus Hondius II, was a Flemish artist, engraver, and cartographer...
. Beginning in 1600, the colonies were settled by Dutch colonists, most of whom came from the province of Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
. Trading posts were established near various rivers, including the Pomeroon
Pomeroon River
The Pomeroon River is located in Guyana, South America, situated between the Orinoco River and the Essequibo River. A colony was started by the Dutch on the river in the 17th century, which was later destroyed by French privateers.- See also :...
, Essequibo
Essequibo River
The Esequibo River is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil-Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,010 km through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean.-Geography:There are countless...
, Berbice
Berbice River
The Berbice River, located in eastern Guyana, rises in the highlands of the Rupununi region. The Berbice flows northward for 370 miles through dense forests to the coastal plain...
, and Suriname
Suriname River
The Suriname River is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains...
rivers. Many small commercial establishments, mostly bartering posts, were founded by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colonists. Due to the effects of disease and attacks from natives, these colonies rarely lasted long.
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...
was created in 1621, and given unsupervised control of the colonies in South America. The colony was administered by Abraham van Peere
Abraham van Peere
Abraham van Peere was a Dutch merchant from Flushing in the County of Zeeland. In 1602, a charter was given by the States General of the Dutch Republic to his father Jan van Peere to found a colony on the Berbice River on the coast of Guyana...
, a Dutch explorer who had founded the settlement of Berbice
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831...
. After the Third Anglo-Dutch War
Third Anglo-Dutch War
The Third Anglo–Dutch War or Third Dutch War was a military conflict between England and the Dutch Republic lasting from 1672 to 1674. It was part of the larger Franco-Dutch War...
, England ceded the territory of modern-day Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, in exchange for New Amsterdam
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Dutch Guiana was not a political entity, but rather a geographical indication. The colonies that formed along Dutch Guiana were, initially, controlled by several entities. Essequibo
Essequibo (colony)
Essequibo was from 1616 to 1814 a Dutch colony in the region of the Essequibo river on the north coast of South America. The colony formed a part of the colonies that are known under the collective name of Dutch Guyana.- History :...
and Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
were controlled 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...
, while Berbice
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831...
and Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
were controlled by the Society of Berbice
Society of Berbice
The Society of Berbice was founded on 24 October 1720 by the owners of the colony of Berbice. These owners, brothers Nicolaas and Hendrik van Hoorn, Arnold Dix, Pieter Schuurmans, and Cornelis van Peere, had acquired the colony from the French on 24 October 1714, who in turn had occupied the...
and the Society of Suriname
Society of Suriname
The Society of Suriname was a Dutch private company, modelled on the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Colbert and set up on 21 May 1683 to profit from the management and defence of the Dutch Republic's colony of Suriname...
, respectively. Cayenne
Cayenne (Dutch colony)
This article contains content derived from the Dutch WikipediaCayenne was a Dutch colony in South America, seized from France by the Dutch West Indies Company in 1658. The territory is now known as French Guiana. Among its original settlers were a significant body of Jews...
(French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
) was also briefly controlled by the Dutch between 1660 and 1664, and again between 1676 and 1677.
Under the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
, much of Dutch Guiana was once again occupied by the British. After the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in 1814, Britain gained control of the three colonies (Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo) west of the Courantyne River
Courantyne River
The Corentyne / Courantyne / Corantijn River is a river in northern South America in the country of Suriname, it is the longest river in the state. The river originates in the Acarai Mountains and flows northward for approximately between Guyana and Suriname, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near...
. These three colonies became British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
. After 1815, there were five Guianas, referred to by their dominant languages: Spanish Guayana (Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
), British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, and Portuguese Guiana (Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
).
The colony that remained continued to be a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
until 1975, when the region became independent as the Republic of Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
.