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Guyana
| page last updated on
June 24, 2010 |
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Background:
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Originally a Dutch colony in the
17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The
abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the
importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar
plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to
turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966,
and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented
governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is
considered the country's first free and fair election since
independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN,
became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor,
Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.
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Location:
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Northern South America, bordering
the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
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Geographic coordinates:
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5 00 N, 59 00 W
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Map references:
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South America
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Area:
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total: 214,969
sq km
land:
196,849 sq km
water:
18,120 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than
Idaho
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Land boundaries:
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total: 2,949
km
border countries:
Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
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Coastline:
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459 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12
nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental
margin
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Climate:
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Current Weather
tropical; hot, humid,
moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August,
November to January)
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Terrain:
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mostly rolling highlands;
low coastal plain; savanna in south
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic
Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mount Roraima 2,835 m
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, gold, diamonds,
hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.23%
permanent crops:
0.14%
other:
97.63% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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1,500 sq km (2003)
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Total
renewable water resources:
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241 cu km (2000)
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Freshwater
withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 1.64
cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)
per capita:
2,187 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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flash floods are a
constant threat during rainy seasons
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Environment
- current issues:
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water pollution from
sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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the third-smallest
country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial
portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela
and Suriname respectively
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Population:
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748,486
61
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, higher death rates,
lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010
est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 32.7%
(male 124,475/female 120,026)
15-64 years:
62.6% (male 234,183/female 234,636)
65 years and over:
4.7% (male 14,618/female 20,548) (2010 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 23.6
years
male:
22.9 years
female:
24.3 years (2010 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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-0.547% (2010 est.)
25
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Birth rate:
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17.61 births/1,000
population (2010 est.)
15
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Death rate:
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7.24 deaths/1,000
population (July 2010 est.)
26
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Net migration rate:
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-15.83 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2010 est.)
8
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 28%
of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female
total population:
1 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 37.89
deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 69
male:
42.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
33.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
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Life expectancy
at birth:
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total population: 66.74
years
57
male:
62.93 years
female:
70.74 years (2010 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.4 children born/woman
(2010 est.)
00
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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2.5% (2007 est.)
6
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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13,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 1,000 (2007
est.)
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Major
infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease:
leptospirosis (2009)
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Nationality:
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noun: Guyanese
(singular and plural)
adjective:
Guyanese
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Ethnic groups:
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East Indian 43.5%, black
(African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)
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Religions:
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Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal
16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%,
Methodist 1.7%, Jehovah Witness 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, Muslim
7.2%, other 4.3%, none 4.3% (2002 census)
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Languages:
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English, Amerindian
dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
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Literacy:
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definition: age
15 and over has ever attended school
total population:
98.8%
male:
99.1%
female:
98.5% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to
tertiary education):
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total: 13
years
male:
13 years
female:
14 years (2005)
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Education expenditures:
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8.3% of GDP (2006)
3
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Cooperative Republic
of Guyana
conventional short form:
Guyana
former:
British Guiana
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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name: Georgetown
geographic coordinates:
6 48 N, 58 10 W
time difference:
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
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Administrative
divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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26 May 1966 (from the UK)
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 23 February
(1970)
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Constitution:
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6 October 1980
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Legal system:
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based on English common
law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age;
universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President
Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after
resignation of President Janet JAGAN and was reelected in 2001, and
again in 2006
head of government:
Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992,
except for a period as chief of state after the death of President
Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)
cabinet:
Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,
responsible to the legislature
(For more information visit the World Leaders website  )
elections:
president elected by popular vote as leader of a
party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every
five years (no term limits); elections last held on 28 August 2006
(next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results:
President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of
vote 54.6%
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National
Assembly (65 seats; members elected by popular vote, also not more than 4
non-elected non-voting ministers and 2 non-elected non-voting
parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members to serve
five-year terms)
elections:
last held on 28 August 2006 (next to be held by
August 2011)
election results:
percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%,
AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other
2
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court of
Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, with
right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
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Political
parties and leaders:
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Alliance for Change or
AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP
[Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National
Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's
Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and
Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The
Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working
People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Amerindian People's
Association; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana
Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private
Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom,
CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU,
ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, UN,
UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador
Bayney KARRAN
chancery:
2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 265-6900
FAX:
[1] (202) 232-1297
consulate(s) general:
New York
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Karen L. WILLIAMS
embassy:
US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston,
Georgetown
mailing address:
P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170
Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170
telephone:
[592] 225-4900 through 4909
FAX:
[592] 225-8497
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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The Guyanese economy exhibited
moderate economic growth in recent years and is based largely on
agriculture and extractive industries. The economy is heavily dependent
upon the export of six commodities - sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp,
timber, and rice - which represent nearly 60% of the country's GDP and
are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in
commodity prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and
Economy (CSME) in January 2006 has broadened the country's export
market, primarily in the raw materials sector. Economic recovery since a
2005 flood-related contraction was buoyed by increases in remittances
and foreign direct investment in the sugar and rice industries as well
as the mining sector. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled
labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a
sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public
investment. In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's
principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent
to nearly 48% of GDP, which along with other Highly Indebted Poor
Country (HIPC) debt forgiveness brought the debt-to-GDP ratio down from
183% in 2006 to 120% in 2007. Guyana became heavily indebted as a result
of the inward-looking, state-led development model pursued in the 1970s
and 1980s. Growth turned negative in 2009 as a result of the world
recession. The slowdown in the domestic economy and lower import costs
helped to narrow the country's current account deficit in 2009, despite
lower earnings from exports, but growth is expected to rebound in 2010
as exports benefit from higher commodity prices.
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GDP
(purchasing power parity):
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$2.844 billion (2009
est.)
3
$2.893
billion (2008 est.)
$2.808
billion (2007 est.)
note:
data are in 2009 US dollars
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GDP
(official exchange rate):
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$1.21 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-1.7% (2009 est.)
39
3%
(2008 est.)
9.1%
(2007 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$3,800 (2009 est.)
57
$3,800
(2008 est.)
$3,700
(2007 est.)
note:
data are in 2009 US dollars
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GDP -
composition by sector:
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agriculture: 25.1%
industry:
24%
services:
50.9% (2009 est.)
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Labor force:
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333,900 (2007 est.)
63
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Labor force -
by occupation:
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agriculture: NA%
industry:
NA%
services:
NA%
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Unemployment rate:
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11% (2007)
25
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Population
below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by
percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%:
33.8% (1999)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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43.2 (1999)
country comparison to the world: 47
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Investment
(gross fixed):
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30.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
2
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Budget:
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revenues: $547
million
expenditures:
$629.8 million (2009 est.)
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Public debt:
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NA% of GDP
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.9% (2009 est.)
26
8.1%
(2008 est.)
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Central bank
discount rate:
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6.75% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 67
6.5%
(31 December 2007)
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
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14.58% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 52
14.61%
(31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
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$344.2 million (31
December 2008)
36
$315.2
million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money:
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$817.6 million (31
December 2008)
23
$728.8
million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of
domestic credit:
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$829.4 million (31
December 2008)
16
$739.3
million (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$NA (31 December 2009)
08
$289.9
million (31 December 2008)
$262.4
million (31 December 2007)
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, rice, edible
oils; shrimp, fish, beef, pork, poultry
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Industries:
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bauxite, sugar, rice
milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-6.5% (2009 est.)
22
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Electricity -
production:
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821 million kWh (2007
est.)
51
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Electricity -
consumption:
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667 million kWh (2007
est.)
52
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
7
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Oil - consumption:
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11,000 bbl/day (2008
est.)
48
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
51
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Oil - imports:
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10,550 bbl/day (2007
est.)
38
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2009
est.)
3
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Natural gas -
production:
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
01
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Natural gas -
consumption:
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
5
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
68
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Natural
gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2009
est.)
0
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Current account balance:
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-$153 million (2009 est.)
-$191.6
million (2008 est.)
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Exports:
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$695 million (2009 est.)
61
$789
million (2008 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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sugar, gold, bauxite,
alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
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Exports - partners:
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Canada 20.9%, US 15.3%,
UK 12.3%, Netherlands 7.3%, Portugal 4.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7%,
Jamaica 4.5%, Ukraine 4.3% (2008)
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Imports:
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$1.012 billion (2009
est.)
69
$1.183
billion (2008 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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manufactures, machinery,
petroleum, food
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Imports - partners:
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US 23.2%, Trinidad and
Tobago 22%, Finland 7.6%, Cuba 6.1%, China 5.6% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$569 million (31 December
2009 est.)
40
$355.9
million (31 December 2008 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$804.3 million (30
September 2008)
52
$1.2
billion (2002)
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Exchange rates:
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Guyanese dollars (GYD)
per US dollar - 204.57 (2009), 203.86 (2008), 201.89 (2007), 200.28
(2006), 200.79 (2005)
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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125,000 (2008)
40
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Telephones -
mobile cellular:
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281,400 (2005)
68
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: fair
system for long-distance service; microwave radio relay network for
trunk lines; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services
domestic:
fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100
persons; ; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in
2005
international:
country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to
Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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Radio broadcast
stations:
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AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1
(2009)
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Television
broadcast stations:
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3 (1 public station; 2
private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.gy
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Internet hosts:
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7,116 (2009)
29
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Internet users:
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205,000 (2008)
34
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Airports:
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99 (2009)
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Airports -
with paved runways:
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total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m:
2
914 to 1,523 m:
1
under 914 m:
7 (2009)
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Airports
- with unpaved runways:
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total: 89
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
14
under 914 m:
74 (2009)
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Roadways:
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total: 7,970
km
42
paved:
590 km
unpaved:
7,380 km (2000)
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Waterways:
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330 km
note:
Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are
navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km
respectively (2008)
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Merchant marine:
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total: 8
25
by type:
cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries:
3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1)
(2008)
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Ports and terminals:
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Georgetown
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Military branches:
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Guyana Defense Force: Army
(includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2008)
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Military service age and obligation:
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18-25 years of age for
voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 16-49: 189,456
(2010 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 16-49: 132,188
females age 16-49:
147,296 (2010 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age
annually:
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male: 8,842
female:
8,452 (2010 est.)
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Military expenditures:
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1.8% of GDP (2006)
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| Transnational Issues
::Guyana |
Disputes -
international:
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|
all of the area west of the
Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a
maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados
in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime
boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a
triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic
dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration
under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to
resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the
territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
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Trafficking in persons:
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current situation: Guyana
is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and
children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation
and forced labor; most trafficking appears to take place in remote
mining camps in the country's interior; some women and girls are
trafficked from northern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests
Guyanese women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to
neighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor
exploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victims from
Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to Caribbean
destinations
tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,
Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of
increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of
law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the government
has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under the
comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which became law
in 2005; the government operates no shelters for trafficking victims,
but did include limited funding for anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008
budget; the government did not make any effort to reduce demand for
commercial sex acts during 2007 (2008)
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for
narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the
US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug
trafficking and human smuggling
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