Rupununi

The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. It takes its name from the Rupununi River, which flows through it and is one of the main tributaries of the Essequibo River, rising in the Kanuku Mountains. The landscape mixes savannah, wetlands, forest and low mountain ranges, and most people live on the Rupununi Savannah, while the forested areas are inhabited only near the major rivers. The article treats the region as covering 57,750 square kilometres with more than 80 communities. The name comes from the word rapon in the Makushi language, meaning the black-bellied whistling duck found along the river. Before colonization the Makushi, Wai-Wai and Wapishana peoples all lived in the area.