Barima-Waini (Region 1) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

and is located in the northwest of the country. Barima-Waini has three sub-regions: Mabaruma, Matakai, and Moruca. The region is located in the northwest of the country and has a population of 26,941. It covers an area of . It borders the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to the north, the region of

Pomeroon-Supenaam Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region 2) is a region of Guyana. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the east, the region of Cuyuni-Mazaruni to the south and the region of Barima-Waini to the west. Po ...

to the east, the region of

Cuyuni-Mazaruni Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7) is a region of Guyana. Its capital is Bartica, with villages including Issano, Kartabo, Kamarang, and Imbaimadai. It borders the regions of Barima-Waini, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara and Pomeroon-Supenaam to th ...

to the south and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

to the west.

History

Prior to the 1980 administrative reform in Guyana, the Barima-Waini Region was known as the 'North West district'. Mabaruma became the administrative centre when it was decided that the former centre,

Morawhanna Morawhanna is a small Atlantic coast village in northern Guyana, on the left side of the Barima River and in close proximity to Venezuela. The 2012 census had a population count of 203, mostly Amerindians. It has a secondary school, with nursery a ...

, was too susceptible to flooding.

Etymology

The region is named after two rivers that flow through the region: the

Barima River The Barima River is a tributary of the Orinoco River, entering from the Atlantic Ocean. It originates from the Imataka Mountains in Guyana, flowing for approximately before entering Venezuela about from its mouth. Features Early recorded ex ...

and the

Waini River The Waini River is a river in the Barima-Waini region of northern Guyana. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near the border with Venezuela. The upper portion of the river flows through the Guianian moist forests, while the lower Waini river flows ...

Geography

Barima-Waini is a heavily forested region. The Atlantic coastal strip of Region One features a number of beaches, including, from west to east, Almond Beach, Luri Beach, Shell Beach, Turtle Beach, Foxes Beach, Iron-punt Beach, Pawpaw Beach and Father's Beach. Marine turtles nest on some of these beaches. There are also a number of Amerindian communities in this area, including

Santa Rosa Mission Santa Rosa is a community in the Barima-Waini region of northern Guyana. Santa Rosa mission was established in 1840, and is one of the earliest Catholic Missions in Guyana. The village is part of the North West Amerindian District. Overview The ...

Economy

The main economic activities in the Barima-Waini region are forestry and gold mining. The northern and northeastern sections include thousands of acres of rich alluvial soil, whose main crops include coffee,

ground provisions Ground provisions is the term used in West Indian nations to describe a number of traditional root vegetable staples such as yams, sweet potatoes, dasheen root (taro), eddos and cassava. They are often cooked and served as a side dish in local cui ...

(such as

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

, eddoes and yams), cabbage, beans, corn, peanuts, and citrus fruits. (This is the area which supplies the famous Pomeroon

cassareep Cassareep is a thick black liquid made from cassava root, often with additional spices, which is used as a base for many sauces and especially in Guyanese pepperpot. Besides use as a flavoring and browning agent, it is commonly regarded as a food ...

.) The Matthews Ridge-Port Kaituma

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

industry was discontinued in 1968 when falling world prices made it uneconomical to continue. Mining was resumed as of 2011.

Major settlements, services and facilities

The Mabaruma sub-region includes the region's capital of Mabaruma, as well as Barabina,

Hosororo Hosororo is a community in the Barima-Waini region of northern Guyana, on the west bank of the Aruka River, from the river's mouth, and three miles from Mabaruma. It is known for its production of organic cocoa and is home to a nursery and pro ...

, Wauna, Kumaka, White Water and Kamwatta. Moruca sub-region includes Waramuri, Warapoka, Santa Cruz, Kokerite, Chinese Landing, Kwebena and Santa Rosa, and Haimacabra. Matakai sub-region includes Sebai,

Port Kaituma Port Kaituma is a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of Guyana. It became known internationally as a gateway village to the Peoples Temple settlement in nearby Jonestown. It has long been a hub for mining in the area. ...

Matthew's Ridge Matthews Ridge is a small village within the Barima-Waini administrative region of Guyana. The village name comes from the name of a public official, Matthew Young, as well as the ridges in the area. The village is divided into three sections, He ...

Baramita Baramita, is a community in the Barima-Waini region of northern Guyana, standing about 20 miles west of Matthew's Ridge, at an altitude of 99 metres (328 feet). It is one of the largest Amerindian settlements in the country. It is inhabited by t ...

Arakaka Arakaka is a community in the Barima-Waini region of Guyana, standing on the Barima River and 12 miles southerly of Port Kaituma, at an altitude of 63 metres (209 feet). It is the centre of the gold-bearing district, featuring lateritic-sapr ...

, and

. The region has two secondary schools,

North West Secondary School North West Secondary School is a secondary school in Mabaruma, capital town of the Barima-Waini region in northern Guyana. The school was established in 1965, being the only secondary school in the region until the establishment of Santa Rosa sch ...

in Mabaruma, established in 1965, and

Santa Rosa Secondary School Santa Rosa Secondary School is a secondary school in Santa Rosa, in the Barima-Waini region of northern Guyana. The school was established in 1991, making it the second secondary school in the area after the establishment of North West Secondary ...

, established in 1992.

Population

The Government of Guyana has administered four official censuses since the 1980 administrative reforms, in 1980, 1991, 2002, and 2012. In 2002, the population of Barima-Waini was recorded at 24,275 people. Official census records for the population of Barima-Waini are as follows:

Communities

Communities (including name variants): * Akwero (Acquero, Aqueero) *

Assakata Assakata or Asakata is a village in Barima-Waini region, in the north of Guyana. Assakata is an Amerindian village inhabited by Warao and Arawak people, located in the swamps and marshes between the Barima and Pomeroon River. History Assakata ...

* Baramani (Baramanna, Baramanni, Barimanni) *

*Chinese Landing *Five Star (Five Star Landing, Five Stars) * Hobediah *

(Hossororo) *

Kamwatta Hill Kamwatta Hill is a community in the Barima-Waini Region, in northern Guyana. Kamwatta is an Amerindian village inhabited by Warao and Arawak people. Kamwatta Hill is located at an altitude of 34 m (114 feet). Its population as of 2012 is 565 inh ...

* Kokerite (Kokerit Landing, Kokerit) *

Koriabo Koriabo is a community in the Barima-Waini region of Guyana, standing at an altitude of 36 metres. Barima and Koriba form an Amerindian community which is mainly inhabited by Warao people with a minority of Arawak and Kalina people. Dutch plantat ...

* Kumaka *

Kwebanna Kwebanna is an Amerindian village in Barima-Waini region, in the north of Guyana. Kwebanna is connected by road to Kumaka, Barima-Waini. Economy In the 1990s, logging companies began exploiting timber in the area. The area is a producer of cabb ...

(Kwabanna) *

Mabaruma Mabaruma is the administrative centre and regional capital for Region One (Barima-Waini) of Guyana. It is located close to the Aruka River (the Venezuelan border) on a narrow plateau above the surrounding rainforest at an elevation of 13 metres. ...

(administrative centre) *

*Mission Landing *

* Mount Everard *Pakera *

*Saint Bede's Mission (Saint Bedes) * Santa Cruz *

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

(Santa Rosa Mission) *Surprise Hill * Waramuri (Waramuri Mission) *Wauna (Wauna-Yarikita) *

Whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

Territorial claim

has renewed its claim to the Essequibo region which is situated west of the

Essequibo river The Essequibo River (; originally called by Alonso de Ojeda; ) is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon River, Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana border, the Essequibo flows ...

. The status of the border controversy is subject to the

Geneva Agreement The Agreement to Resolve the Controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the Frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana, better known as the Geneva Agreement, is a treaty between Venezue ...

, which was signed by the United Kingdom, Venezuela and British Guiana on February 17, 1966. As of December 2020, the matter is being addressed by the

ICJ The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

.Summary of the Judgement of 18 December 2020
/ref>

Gallery

Coconut Trees on the Shell Beach - panoramio.jpg, Shell Beach Mabaruma Guyana Almond Beach House.JPG, Mabaruma Continuing Promise in Guyana DVIDS130400.jpg, Santa Rosa School 99 Turns of Dark Bush - Moruca to Baramani - panoramio.jpg, Baramani River Continuing Promise in Guyana DVIDS130397.jpg, Kumaka District Hospital

References

{{Coord, 7.667, N, 59.750, W, display=title, source:dewiki_region:GY-BA Regions of Guyana States and territories established in 1980