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Introduction - Guyana
Background:
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.
Geography - Guyana
Location:
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: 214,969 sq km
country comparison to the world: 84
land: 196,849 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Idaho
Land boundaries:
total: 2,949 km
border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Coastline:
459 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Climate:
Current Weather
tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May
to August, November to 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: 2.23%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 97.63% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
241 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.64 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)
per capita: 2,187 cu m/yr (2000)
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, 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
Geography - note:
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
People - Guyana
Population:
748,486
country comparison to the world: 161
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.)
Age structure:
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.)
Median age:
total: 23.6 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 24.3 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.547% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 225
Birth rate:
17.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
Death rate:
7.24 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
Net migration rate:
-15.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
Urbanization:
urban population: 28% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
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.)
Infant mortality rate:
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.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.74 years
country comparison to the world: 157
male: 62.93 years
female: 70.74 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.4 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Major infectious diseases:
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)
Nationality:
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese
Ethnic groups:
East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other
0.5% (2002 census)
Religions:
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)
Languages:
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi),
Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.1%
female: 98.5% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
8.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 13
Government - Guyana
Country name:
conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Georgetown
geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 the 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 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%
Legislative branch:
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
Judicial branch:
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)
Political parties and leaders:
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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
International organization participation:
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
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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
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; green
represents forest and foliage; yellow stands for mineral resources and a bright
future; white symbolizes Guyana's rivers; red signifies zeal and the sacrifice
of the people; black indicates perseverance
Economy - Guyana
Economy - overview:
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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.844 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
$2.893 billion (2008 est.)
$2.808 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.21 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1.7% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
3% (2008 est.)
9.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,800 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
$3,800 (2008 est.)
$3,700 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25.1%
industry: 24%
services: 50.9% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
333,900 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
11% (2007)
country comparison to the world: 125
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.2 (1999)
country comparison to the world: 47
Investment (gross fixed):
30.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
Budget:
revenues: $547 million
expenditures: $629.8 million (2009 est.)
Public debt:
NA% of GDP
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.9% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
8.1% (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
6.75% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 67
6.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.58% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 52
14.61% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$344.2 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 136
$315.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$817.6 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 123
$728.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$829.4 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 116
$739.3 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 108
$289.9 million (31 December 2008)
$262.4 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, rice, edible oils; shrimp, fish, beef, pork, poultry
Industries:
bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:
-6.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - production:
821 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Electricity - consumption:
667 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Oil - consumption:
10,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Oil - imports:
10,550 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
Current account balance:
-$153 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
-$191.6 million (2008 est.)
Exports:
$695 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
$789 million (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners:
Canada 27.52%, US 16.93%, UK 10.84%, Ukraine 5.54%, Netherlands 5%, Trinidad and
Tobago 4.33%, Jamaica 4.12% (2009)
Imports:
$1.012 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
$1.183 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners:
US 25.23%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.23%, Cuba 6.41%, China 6.05% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$569 million (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
$355.9 million (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$804.3 million (30 September 2008)
country comparison to the world: 152
$1.2 billion (2002)
Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 204.57 (2009), 203.86 (2008), 201.89
(2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005)
Communications - Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use:
125,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 140
Telephones - mobile cellular:
281,400 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 168
Telephone system:
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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (2009)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services)
(1997)
Internet country code:
.gy
Internet hosts:
7,116 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 129
Internet users:
205,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 134
Transportation - Guyana
Airports:
99 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 60
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 89
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 74 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 7,970 km
country comparison to the world: 141
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)
Waterways:
330 km
country comparison to the world: 91
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing
vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 8
country comparison to the world: 125
by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1)
(2008)
Ports and terminals:
Georgetown
Military - Guyana
Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 189,456 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 132,188
females age 16-49: 147,296 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 8,842
female: 8,452 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 82
Transnational Issues - Guyana
Disputes - international:
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
Trafficking in persons:
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)
Illicit drugs:
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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