Matthew's Ridge is a small town within the Barima-Waini

Barima-Waini

Barima-Waini is a region of Essequibo, Guyana, a territory in dispute by Guyana and Venezuela, located in the northwest of the country. It covers an area of 20,339 km²...

 administrative region 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...

. It is located at 7°30′N 60°10′W.

History

During the 1960s, Matthews Ridge was being considered as a potential area in which to relocate the capital city 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...

. During that same era, it was the location of a large manganese

Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...

 mining operation, which has since closed down.

Geography

Matthews Ridge lies in the North-West district of Guyana. It is located in Region 1 of Guyana, also known as the Barima-Waini region.

Climate

The area experiences a steady shift between dry season in August/September and March, and rainy season in May/June and December/January. Average temperature ranges between 95-100'F during the day, to 80-85'F at night.

Demographics

The population of Matthews Ridge is approximately 500, and is composed mainly of blacks and Amerindians. Some of these Amerindians speak the Carib language. Individuals of that language group in Matthew's Ridge number approximately 50 persons. With the closing of the manganese mining operation in the 1970s, the town went into an economic downturn, which it is still struggling to recover from. There are few job opportunities aside from small scale gold mining

Gold mining

Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...

. Nearby mining camps include Eyelash, Big Creek, Five Star, Perseverance, Butterfly, 6-Mile, 14-Mile, Botway, and Black Banana.

Education

The local nursery and primary schools can accommodate students through Grade 9. Children who display skill and determination may be sent to the secondary school in Port Kaituma

Port Kaituma

Port Kaituma is a small town within the Barima-Waini administrative region of Guyana, located at .- History :Although an Amerindian settlement has existed along the Kaituma River for some time, it was only after the discovery of manganese at nearby Matthew's Ridge that Port Kaituma was developed...

 if affordable for further educational opportunities.

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of the town is elementary. A phone and internet connection is available by means of a small shop offering this by means of satellite. Digicel service is available. Electric current is not provided by the government in Matthew's Ridge, but a number of the residents own generators which provide them with electricity. Goods are brought into Matthews Ridge via planes from Georgetown

Georgetown, Guyana

Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...

, and trucks from Port Kaituma.