Guyana (Source of information
on this page credited to the CIA's - The World Factbook)
Background:
|
GUYANA
|
Northern South America,
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
|
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
5 00 N, 59 00 W |
| Map
references: |
South America |
| Area: |
total: 214,970
sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Idaho
|
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 2,462 km
border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km,
Venezuela 743 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental shelf:
200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid, moderated
by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August,
mid-November to mid-January) |
| Terrain: |
mostly rolling highlands; low
coastal plain; savanna in south |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m |
| Natural
resources: |
bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood
timber, shrimp, fish |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 84%
other: 8% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated land: |
1,300 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
flash floods are a constant
threat during rainy seasons |
| Environment - current issues: |
water pollution from sewage
and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
| Population: |
697,181
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into
account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result
in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates,
lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution
of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 28.19%
(male 100,194; female 96,309)
15-64 years: 66.89% (male 234,976; female 231,360)
65 years and over: 4.92% (male 15,324; female 19,018)
(2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate: |
0.07% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.92 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.87 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
38.72 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
63.31 years
male: 60.52 years
female: 66.24 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.1 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
3.01% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
15,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
900 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Guyanese
(singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
East Indian 49%, black 32%,
mixed 12%, Amerindian 6%, white and Chinese 1% |
| Religions: |
Christian 50%, Hindu 33%, Muslim
9%, other 8% |
| Languages: |
English, Amerindian dialects,
Creole, Hindi, Urdu |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.1%
male: 98.6%
female: 97.5% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana |
| Government type: |
republic within the Commonwealth
|
| Administrative divisions: |
10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni,
Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West
Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper
Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo |
| Independence: |
26 May 1966 (from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
|
| Constitution: |
6 October 1980 |
| Legal
system: |
based on English common law
with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
|
| Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed
presidency after resignation of President JAGAN
head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since
NA December 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,
responsible to the legislature
elections: president elected by the majority party
in the National Assembly following legislative elections, which
must be held at least every five years; elections last held 19 March
2001 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected;
percent of legislative vote - NA% |
| Legislative branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
(65 seats, 53 elected by popular vote, 10 elected by the ten Regional
Democratic Councils, and 2 elected by the National Congress of Local
Democratic Organs; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held
NA March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of Judicature;
Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court |
| Political parties and leaders: |
Alliance for Guyana or AFG
(includes Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance
or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [leader NA];
Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress
or PNC [Hugh Desmond HOYTE]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Janet
JAGEN]; Rise, Organize and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United
Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert
ROOPARNINE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Civil Liberties Action Committee
or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO; Rise, Organize
and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; Trades Union Congress or TUC
note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but
not well organized |
| International organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Ali Odeen ISHMAEL
chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900
consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ronald D. GODARD
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown
telephone: [592] (2) 54900 through 54909, 57960 through
57969
FAX: [592] (2) 58497 |
| Flag
description: |
green, with a red isosceles
triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow
arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow,
and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green |
| Economy
- overview: |
Severe drought and political
turmoil contributed to Guyana's negative growth of -1.8% for 1998
following six straight years of growth of 5% or better. Growth came
back to a positive 1.8% in 1999 and 3% in 2000. Underlying growth
factors have included expansion in the key agricultural and mining
sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiative, a
more realistic exchange rate, a moderate inflation rate, and continued
support by international organizations. President JAGDEO, the former
finance minister, is taking steps to reform the economy, including
drafting an investment code and restructuring the inefficient and
unresponsive public sector. Problems include a shortage of skilled
labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government must persist
in efforts to manage its sizable external debt and attract new investment.
|
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $3.4
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $4,800
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 34.7%
industry: 32.5%
services: 32.8% (1998 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
5.9% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
245,492 (1992) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%,
services NA% |
| Unemployment rate: |
12% (1992 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $220.1
million
expenditures: $286.4 million, including capital expenditures
of $86.6 million (1998) |
| Industries: |
bauxite, sugar, rice milling,
timber, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining |
| Industrial production growth rate: |
7.1% (1997 est.) |
| Electricity - production: |
455 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 98.9%
hydro: 1.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity - consumption: |
423.2 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture - products: |
sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable
oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest and fishery potential
not exploited |
| Exports: |
$570 million (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina,
rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 22%, Canada 22%, UK 18%,
Netherlands Antilles 11%, Jamaica (1999) |
| Imports: |
$660 million (c.i.f., 2000
est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
manufactures, machinery, petroleum,
food |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 29%, Trinidad and Tobago
18%, Netherlands Antilles 16%, UK 7%, Japan (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$1.1 billion (2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$84 million (1995), Heavily
Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) |
| Currency: |
Guyanese dollar (GYD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Guyanese dollars per US dollar
- 184.1 (November 2000), 182.2 (2000), 178.0 (1999), 150.5 (1998),
142.4 (1997), 140.4 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones - main lines in use: |
70,000 (2000) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: |
6,100 (2000) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment:
fair system for long-distance calling
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
|
| Television broadcast stations: |
3 (one public station; two
private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
46,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.gy |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
3 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
3,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 187 km
(all dedicated to ore transport)
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge |
| Highways: |
total: 7,970 km
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (1996) |
| Waterways: |
5,900 km (total length of navigable
waterways)
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable
by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively
|
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bartica, Georgetown, Linden,
New Amsterdam, Parika |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 2 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,929 GRT/4,507 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Guyana Defense Force (GDF;
includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Corps), Guyana People's
Militia (GPM), Guyana National Service (GNS), Guyana Police Force
|
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
204,938 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
154,259 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$7 million (FY94) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.7% (FY94) |
| Disputes
- international: |
all of the area west of the
Essequibo (river) claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between
New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari [Koetari] rivers (all
headwaters of the Courantyne) |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment point for narcotics
from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US;
producer of cannabis |
|
