Lethem, Guyana

Lethem is a town in Guyana, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of the South American Country. It is named after Sir Gordon James Lethem, who was the Governor of British Guiana from 1946 to 12 April 1947.

Geography

Lethem lies on the Takutu River, which forms the border with Brazil, opposite the Brazilian town of Bonfim. Lethem is the capitol of Region 9 and is a hub linking many of the surrounding villages to Georgetown. The Takutu River Bridge over the Takutu River is now under construction and will soon link the two countries. However the river is quite shallow and there is unofficial cross-border transit and commerce. The on-again, off-again bridge project is expected to bring Brazilian goods to the Georgetown harbor which would be faster than shipping through Brazilian ports. Map coordinates for Lethem are 03.22.30.00 at 59.47.52.00. The town is approximately 280 feet above sea level.

Demographics

The population of Guyana is varied and includes native Amerindian people who come from 9 original tribes in the savannahs. There is a mixture of Caribbean heritage as well as African. Few Caucasians live in Guyana and most are there visiting for scientific research in the savannahs or rain forest or visiting on Christian missionary campaigns. The language is English with a Caribbean accent. Some Portuguese is spoken, mainly by Brazilian immigrants, in addition to the many dialects of the Amerindian tribes.

Environment and Economy

Lethem is part of the Guyanese Rupununi savannah where there are many "vaqueiros" spoken for Portuguese language, or cowboys, and ranches. Local flora/fauna includes cashew trees and mango trees. Coconut trees are also common. There is a cashew processing plant in St. Ignatius, a community within Lethem. There are several retail establishments throughout Lethem and U.S. currency is typically accepted along with the Guyanese Dollar.

The Guyanese and Brazilian governments are jointly building a bridge over the Takatu river just north of Lethem. The bridge will link northern Brazil to the Atlantic coast port of Georgetown. In April, 2008, improvements were underway to the approaches to the bridge.

Water is often drawn from hand dug wells although there is a community water supply. Bottled, filtered water is common and easily available in stores.

The area's other economic activities are plant and mineral extraction, and tourism. There is a rodeo event at Easter.

Airport

Lethem has an airport (IATA Code: LTM) that connects it to the capital, Georgetown with scheduled air service most weekdays. The airport has a single, 6,194 foot (1,888 meter) paved runway with instrument markings but no lighting. The runway is oriented at 07/25. The approach to 07 is often flown in Brazilian airspace which begins less than 1 km from the threshold. Scheduled service is provided by Trans-Guyana Air via a single engine Cessna Caravan. Persons traveling by air to Lethem should know that there are strict weight restrictions for luggage. Weight, depending on booking, could be restricted to less than 20 pounds. The airport office is located just south of the western end of the runway.

External links

* [http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8525813 Looking south] - January 11th, 2007 - The Economist