Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, was established under the name Longchamps in 1782, during a brief occupation by the French of the Dutch colony of Demerara. The original name of the town was changed to Stabroek in 1784, after Nicholaas Geelvinck (1732-1787), Lord of Stabroek, the then President of the Dutch West India Company. The city's name changed again in 1812 when, under British rule, it became Georgetown. A ward of the city retains the name Stabroek, and also its main market, which has existed on or near its present location since the 18th century.
Read more »