| Official Name: | Fort Island |
| Settlement Type: | River island |
| Pushpin Map: | Guyana |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Guyana |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Guyana |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Essequibo Islands-West Demerara |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 95 |
| Timezone: | UTC-4 |
| Coordinates: | 6.7821°N -58.5105°W |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Af |
Fort Island is an island in the Essequibo River located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. It is about 16km (10miles) from the mouth of the river, and to the east of Hogg Island.[2] In 1687, a wooden fort was built on the island. In 1744, Fort Zeelandia was constructed and served as the capital of Essequibo, a Dutch colony which is nowadays part of Guyana.[3] In 1752, the Court of Policy was built on the island as the legislative body for the colony.[4]
In 1679, Abraham Beekman, the Dutch Governor of the Essequibo colony, ordered the construction of a wooden fort on the island. At the time, the island was called Flag Island. The capital of the colony was located at Fort Kyk-Over-Al.[4] Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande became Governor of Essequibo in 1743,[5] and ordered the construction of Fort Zeelandia, a brick fort, on the island. The fort was finished in 1744.[4] The fort suffered severe damage during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War.[6]
In 1752, the Court of Policy was built on the island which served as the legislative body for the colony. The Court of Policy is the oldest extant non-military building of Guyana.[7] [4] In 2007, the Dutch Heritage Museum opened in the building. Fort Zeelandia and the Court of Policy were declared a national monument in 1999 and are maintained by the National Trust of Guyana,[4] and are on the UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list.[8]
The island is inhabited, and was home to 95 people as of 2021.[1] The economy is mainly based on agriculture and fishing.[3] [1] The island has a health centre, but no school. The church on the island has been abandoned.[3]
The ferry from Parika to Bartica makes a stop at Fort Island.[9] In 2021, construction started on a stelling (small harbour) on the island, to improve the access to the island, and encourage tourism.[1]