Hogg Island, Guyana

The flow of the Essequibo River through Guyana to its estuary into the Atlantic Ocean

Hogg Island, (sometimes referred to as Hog Island)^[1] is the largest of the hundreds of islands in the Essequibo River in Guyana, it is located just 5 km from the river's mouth in its estuary into the Atlantic Ocean, located at 6°49′27″N 58°31′54″W / 6.82417°N 58.53167°W / 6.82417; -58.53167Coordinates: 6°49′27″N 58°31′54″W / 6.82417°N 58.53167°W / 6.82417; -58.53167.

With a total area of 23 square miles (60 km²) this island is larger than many of the other Caribbean islands. Its 250 residents are engaged mainly in the farming of rice and ground provisions. The population has decreased a lot because of migration to other parts of Guyana, However, there is still a primary school and a church on Hogg Island.

Wild Name

The island used to be controlled by the Dutch when it was known as Varken Eiland^[1] or Hog Island, so named due to it being inhabited by a large number of wild hogs. Then in 1814 with the cesation of the Napoleonic Wars the British gained control of the Dutch colonies: Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo, leaving the Dutch with Suriname until 1975. The British had decided to keep the name of the island as the Dutch did "Hogg Island".

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