FAR from being the busy trading post it was in the days of yore, Fort Island today is a quiet and sparsely populated area with a population of 104.
Unlike some of the other islands in Guyana, Fort Island, which is about three-miles in length and a mile in width, is a single community or an island not divided into villages.

Surrounded by Morashee, Bonasika Creek, Aliki, Lanaballi and Hogg Island among other populated areas in the Essequibo River, almost every household on the island engage in fishing for a livelihood.

Years ago, rice used to be cultivated on the island but due to poor drainage and irrigation, residents stopped cultivation many years ago. Today, plantain, bananas and cassava are cultivated on a small scale in front of the island.
In 2008, during the launch of the “Grow More Food” campaign by the Ministry of Agriculture, a team from the then National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) visited the island and promised to give agriculture a boost there.
According to residents, that was the last time they heard about crop cultivation from the NARI team led by then Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud.
This publication observed that the lands aback the island are vulnerable to flooding, and as such, they are not cultivated or occupied by residents.

At high tide, the situation gets worst and added to this, the island has been eroding. The Government has stepped in, and the southern end of the island is being fortified.
But this would not ease flooding and the residents are appealing to Government to look into the poor drainage and irrigation on the island, since they would like to resume planting on a larger scale.

On Fort Island, there is a nursery and primary school, a health centre, a church and a Guyana Defence Force base.
There are no cars, vans or trucks on the island, largely because the roads are very narrow. Bicycle is the chief means of transportation.

Residents early in the day take to the sea to go fishing, while other family members remain at home to do the daily chores.
In the afternoon, the fishers return after selling their catch and by 19:00 hrs, many of the residents are fast asleep.

Due to the dreary life, some residents have left the island to take up residence at Parika and the West Coast of Demerara. At Fort Island, there are quite few abandoned houses and the residents who remain there say there is no place like home.

Despite their challenges, residents on the island appear to be happy people. With only two candy shops at their disposal, residents have to travel to Parika for entertainment and to buy clothing, hardware, groceries and other goods.