In November–December last year, the South American nation of Guyana was very much in the news. Neighbouring Venezuela organised a referendum regarding the future of a territory known as Essequibo. An overwhelming majority of Venezuelans indicated their wish for Venezuela to resume control of this disputed area, which, it seems, has considerable deposits of oil and gas.
The big problem here is that Essequibo is a major part of the Republic of Guyana, located in the north-eastern corner of South America and tucked in between Venezuela and Surinam. British Guiana achieved independence in 1966, and the spelling of the name was changed to Guyana. Over the years, there have been several Guyana stamp issues carrying the message ‘ESSEQUIBO IS OURS’, which certainly suggests that this is a conflict of long date.
British influence in the area goes back to the 18th century. A postal service in British Guiana was established as early as 1796 when Britain took over former Dutch colonies of Essequibo and Berbice. The colony of Demerara was added later. The three colonies were
