Georgetown the chief port, capital and largest city of Guyana is situated on the right bank of the Demerara River Estuary. It was chosen as a site for a fort to guard the early Dutch settlements of the Demerara River.
The city of Georgetown was primarily designed by the Dutch and is laid out in a rectangular pattern with broad tree-lined avenues and irrigation canals that criss-cross the city. Most of the buildings in the city are wooden with unique architecture dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. For the most part, the buildings have Demerara shutters and designed fretwork.
Main Street Georgetown provides several excellent examples of old colonial homes, a prime example of which is the State House, built-in 1852. The State House set in an extensive garden and once home to the Governor-General of British Guiana.