Fort Wellington, Guyana Explained

Fort Wellington
Settlement Type:village and regional capital
Pushpin Map:Guyana
Pushpin Mapsize:260
Pushpin Label Position:right
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Guyana
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Mahaica-Berbice
Established Title:Established
Population As Of:2012
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:118
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:UTC-4
Coordinates:6.4°N -57.6167°W
Blank Name Sec1:Climate

Fort Wellington is a village located in the Mahaica-Berbice region of Guyana, serving as its regional capital.

It is located on the west coast of Berbice and about 54 miles from Georgetown. Public services include Fort Wellington Hospital, a primary school, a secondary School,[2] a police station, magistrate's court, National Insurance Scheme office, Guyana Elections Commission Office and a post office.[3]

Government administration and agriculture is a major economic activities of the town. In 2017, a feasibility study for growing onions in Guyana by two students of University of Guyana was performed in conjunction with Canadian agricultural organization [4]

The town has few supermarkets and grocery stores so villagers travel to Bushlot some distance away for supplies.

History

The village was given the name for the fort that was in the site of the previous police station. It was given by the surveyor, T.R. Earl who demarcated it between Onderneeming Village to the west and Naarstigheid, an unpopulated area which was once a Dutch plantation, to the east. The town was built on the plantation Catherinas Lust.[5]

The St Michael's Anglican Church was established in 1830 by English planters who lived at the Bath Estate, and when construction was completed in 1842, it was the only Anglican Church in West Berbice.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2012 Population by Village. Statistics Guyana. 18 August 2020.
  2. Web site: Chabrol. Denis. 2016-04-27. Guyanese athletes to participate in US’ Penn Relay despite no govt support. 2021-01-05. Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana. en-US.
  3. Web site: Fort Wellington: A Village Of Productivity And Promising Economic Potential. 2021-01-05. Guyana Chronicle. en-US.
  4. Web site: 2018-06-04. West Berbice onion production very encouraging. 2021-01-05. Department of Public Information. en-GB.
  5. Web site: Fort Wellington. Stabroek News. 18 August 2020.