Fort Island, Guyana
River island in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Guyana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort Island is an island in the Essequibo River located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. It is about 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the mouth of the river,[2] and to the east of Hogg Island.[3] In 1687, a wooden fort was built on the island.[2] In 1744, Fort Zeelandia was constructed and served as the capital of Essequibo, a Dutch colony which is nowadays part of Guyana.[4] In 1752, the Court of Policy was built on the island as the legislative body for the colony.[2]
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Fort Island | |
|---|---|
River island | |
Ruins of Fort Zeelandia | |
  Fort Island Location in Guyana | |
| Coordinates: 6.7821°N 58.5105°W | |
| Country |  Guyana |
| Region | Essequibo Islands-West Demerara |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 95 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 |
| Climate | Af |
History
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.[2] 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.[2] 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][2][8] 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,[2] and are on the UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list.[8]
Current situation
The island is inhabited, and was home to 95 people as of 2021.[1] The economy is mainly based on agriculture and fishing.[4][1] The island has a health centre, but no school. The church on the island has been abandoned.[4]
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]
