Map of Guyana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | 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: 5 00 N 59 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 214,970 km²
Land: 196,850 km²
Water: 18,120 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho

Land boundaries
Total: 2,462 km
Border countries: (3) Brazil 1,119 km; , Suriname 600 km; , Venezuela 743 km

Coastline: 459 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
Extremes 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: 1300 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Geography


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Population
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.)
Growth rate: 0.07% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Ethnic groups: East Indian 49% black 32% mixed 12% Amerindian 6% white and Chinese 1%

Languages: English Amerindian dialects Creole Hindi Urdu

Religions: Christian 50% Hindu 33% Muslim 9% other 8%

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.07% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 17.92 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.87 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 38.72 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.01% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 15,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 900 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 98.1%
Male: 98.6%
Female: 97.5% (1995 est.)

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 within the Commonwealth

Capital: Georgetown

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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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]

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
In the us chancery: 2,490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-6,900
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald D. GODARD
From the us embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 10,507, Georgetown
From the us telephone: [592] (2) 54,900 through 54,909, 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: 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 34.7%
Industry: 32.5%
Services: 32.8% (1998 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar rice wheat vegetable oils; beef pork poultry dairy products; forest and fishery potential not exploited

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

Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 245,492 (1992)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 12% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $220.1 million
Expenditures: $286.4 million, including capital expenditures of $86.6 million (1998)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.9% (2000 est.)

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: $570 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: sugar gold bauxite/alumina rice shrimp molasses rum timber
Partners: US 22% Canada 22% UK 18% Netherlands Antilles 11% Jamaica (1999)

Imports: $660 million (c.i.f. 2000 est.)
Commodities: manufactures machinery petroleum food
Partners: US 29% Trinidad and Tobago 18% Netherlands Antilles 16% UK 7% Japan (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.1 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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)


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Electricity
Production: 455 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 98.9%
Production by source hydro: 1.1%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 423.2 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 70,000 (2000)
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .gy
Service providers isps: 3 (2000)
Users: 3,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $7 million (FY94)
Percent of gdp: 1.7% (FY94)

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: 51 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 6
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 45
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

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

Roadways

Waterways
Note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively

Merchant marine
Total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,929 GRT/4,507 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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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)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs