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 but until the early 1990s it was 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. Upon his death five years later he was succeeded by his wife Janet who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor Bharrat JAGDEO was reelected in 2001.

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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

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: 2.44%
Permanent crops: 0.15%
Other: 97.41% (2001)

Irrigated land: 1500 km² (1998 est.)

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

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

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 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 0.61% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

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

Ethnic groups: East Indian 50% black 36% Amerindian 7% white Chinese and mixed 7%

Languages: English Amerindian dialects Creole Hindi Urdu

Religions: Christian 50% Hindu 35% Muslim 10% other 5%

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.5% (male 95,431; female 91,806)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 243,224; female 239,047)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,000; female 20,295) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 26.2 years
Male: 25.6 years
Female: 26.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.61% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 17.85 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 9.71 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

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

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: 0.79 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 37.22 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 41.28 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 32.95 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.43 years
Male: 60.12 years
Female: 64.84 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.5% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 11,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 1100 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 98.8%
Male: 99.1%
Female: 98.5% (2003 est.)

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

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 Janet 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 by March 2006); 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 ROOPNARAINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress 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]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]

International organization participation: ACP C Caricom CDB FAO G-77 IADB IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (subscriber) ITU LAES MIGA NAM OAS OIC OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN
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 fax: [1] (202) 232-1297
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Roland BULLEN
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] 225-4,900 through 4,909
From the us fax: [592] 225-8,497

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

Economy overview: The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02 based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives a more realistic exchange rate fairly low inflation and the continued support of international organizations. Growth then slowed in 2003. 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. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term by restructuring and partial privatization.

Real gdp growth rate: 0.5% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 37.2%
Industry: 22.7%
Services: 40.1% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar rice wheat vegetable oils; beef pork poultry dairy products; fish (shrimp)

Industries: bauxite sugar rice milling timber textiles gold mining

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

Labor force: 418,000 (2001 est.)
By occupation: agriculture NA industry NA services NA

Unemployment rate: 9.1% (understated) (2000)

Population below poverty line: NA

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

Budget
Revenues: $263.4 million
Expenditures: $326.7 million, including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.7% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $-158 million (2003)

Exports: $512 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: sugar gold bauxite/alumina rice shrimp molasses rum timber
Partners: Canada 23.2% US 21.8% UK 13.5% Portugal 6.7% Belgium 6.5% Jamaica 6.1% (2003)

Imports: $612 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: manufactures machinery petroleum food
Partners: US 22.6% Trinidad and Tobago 19.2% Italy 11.2% UK 7.2% Cuba 5.2% (2003)

Debt external: $1.2 billion (2002)

Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars per US dollar - NA (2003) 190.665 (2002) 187.321 (2001) 182.43 (2000) 177.995 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 852 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 792.4 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 80,400 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 87,300 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: fair system for long-distance calling
Domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
International: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .gy
Hosts: 613 (2003)
Users: 125,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $6.5 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 0.8% (2003)

Airports: 49 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 41
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.)

Railways
Total: 187 km
Standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge
Note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)

Waterways
Note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,475 GRT/8,758 DWT
By type: cargo 3, container 1, refrigerated cargo 1
Foreign owned: Barbados 1, Panama 1
Registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.)

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 UNCLOS arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis