Guyana is located in North America.
Guyana ( pronounced [ ɡaɪˈɑːnə ] or [ ɡaɪˈænə ] ) , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana , is a sovereign state on the northern mainland of South America . With 215000 sqkm , Guyana is the fourth-smallest country on mainland South America after Uruguay , Suriname and French Guiana ( an overseas region of France ) . Guyana is the only South American nation in which English is the official language . In addition to being part of the Anglophone Caribbean , Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island in the West Indies . In 2008 , the country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member .