Map of Guyana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966 and became a republic in 1970. In 1989 Guyana launched an Economic Recovery Program which marked a dramatic reversal from a state-controlled socialist economy towards a more open free market system. Results through the first decade have proven encouraging.


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Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Suriname and Venezuela

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 214,970 km²
Land: 196,850 km²

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 459 km
Continental shelf: 200 nm or the outer edge of continental margin
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 6%
Forest and woodland: 83%
Other: 8%

Land use

Irrigated land: 1,300 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 734,640 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: -0.68% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Guyanese

Ethnic groups:

Languages: English, Amerindian dialects

Religions: Christian 57%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.68% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 20.47 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 7.39 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -19.89 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: flash floods a constant threat during rainy seasons; water pollution

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 49.3 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.7 years
Male: 61.46 years
Female: 68.1 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.35 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over having ever attended scool (1990)
Total population: 95%
Male: 98%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Conventional short form: Guyana
Former: British Guiana

Government type: republic

Capital: Georgetown

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 26 May 1966 (from UK)

National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution: 6 October 1980

Legal system:

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: executive president, first vice president, prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Odeen ISHMAEL
In the us chancery: 2,490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 265-6,900
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador George Jones
From the us embassy: 99-100 Young and Duke Streets, Georgetown
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 10,507, Georgetown
From the us telephone: 592 (2) 54,900 through 54,909 and 57,960 through 57,969
From the us fax: 592 (2) 58,497

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Guyana is one of the world's poorest countries with a per capita income less than one-fifth the South American average. After growing on average at less than 1% a year in 1986-87, GDP dropped by 5% a year in 1988-90. The decline resulted from bad weather, labor trouble in the cane fields, and flooding and equipment problems in the bauxite industry. Consumer prices rose about 100% in 1989 and 75% in 1990, and the current account deficit widened substantially as sugar and bauxite exports fell. Moreover, international financial agencies, seeks to reduce its payment arrears and to raise new funds. The government's stabilization program - aimed at establishing realistic exchange rates, reasonable price stability, and a resumption of growth - requires considerable public administrative abilities and continued patience by consumers during a long incubation period. Buoyed by a recovery in mining and agriculture, the economy posted 6% growth in 1991 and 7% growth in 1992, according to official figures. A large volume of illegal and quasi-legal economic activity is not captured in estimates of the country's total output.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 7% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: most important sector, accounting for 25% of GDP and about half of exports; sugar and rice are key crops; development potential exists for fishing and forestry; not self-sufficient in food, especially wheat, vegetable oils, and animal products

Industries: bauxite mining, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 12% (1990 est.), accounts for about 24% of GDP

Labor force: 268,000
By occupation industry and commerce: 44.5%
By occupation agriculture: 33.8%
By occupation services: 21.7%
Note: public-sector employment amounts to 60-80% of the total labor force (1985)

Unemployment rate: 12%-15% (1991 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $121 million; expenditures $225 million, including capital expenditures of $50 million (1990 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $268 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: sugar, bauxite/alumina, rice, gold, shrimp, molasses, timber, rum
Partners: UK 28%, US 25%, FRG 8%, Canada 7%, Japan 6% (1989)

Imports: $242.4 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodoties: manufactures, machinery, food, petroleum
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars (G$) per US$1 - 125.8 (January 1993) 125.0 (1992), 111.8 (1991), 39.533 (1990), 27.159 (1989), 10.000 (1988)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 253,500 kW capacity; 276 million kWh produced, 370 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $NA, NA% of GDP

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 53
Usable: 48
With permanentsurface runways: 5
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 0
With runways 1220-2439 m: 13

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways:

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs