1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)
Coastline
459 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Idaho
Continental shelf
outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Disputes
Essequibo area claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne)
Environment
flash floods a constant threat during rainy seasons; water pollution
Exclusive fishing zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
2,462 km total; Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Land use
3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 83% forest and woodland; 8% other; includes 1% irrigated
Natural resources
bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Terrain
mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
214,970 km2; land area: 196,850 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
24 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
51% East Indian, 43% black and mixed, 4% Amerindian, 2% European and Chinese
Infant mortality rate
40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
268,000; 44.5% industry and commerce, 33.8% agriculture, 21.7% services; public-sector employment amounts to 60-80% of the total labor force (1985)
Language
English, Amerindian dialects
Life expectancy at birth
65 years male, 70 years female (1990)
Literacy
85%
Nationality
noun--Guyanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Guyanese
Net migration rate
- 19 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
34% of labor force
Population
764,649 (July 1990), growth rate - 0.1% (1990)
Religion
57% Christian, 33% Hindu, 9% Muslim, 1% other
Total fertility rate
2.7 children born/woman (1990)
Government
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
Capital
Georgetown
Communists
100 (est.) hardcore within PPP; top echelons of PPP and PYO (Progressive Youth Organization, militant wing of the PPP) include many Communists; small but unknown number of orthodox Marxist-Leninists within PNC, some of whom formerly belonged to the PPP
Constitution
6 October 1980
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Dr. Cedric Hilburn GRANT; Chancery at 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-6900; there is a Guyanese Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Theresa A. TULL; Embassy at 31 Main Street, Georgetown; telephone [592] (02) 54900 through 54909
Elections
Executive President--last held on 9 December 1985 (next to be held late 1990); Hugh Desmond Hoyte was elected president (the leader of the party with the most votes in the National Assembly elections--PNC 78%); National Assembly--last held on 9 December 1985 (next to be held by 9 December 1990); results--PNC 78%, PPP 16%, UF 4%, WPA 2%; seats--(65 total, 53 elected) PNC 42, PPP 8, UF 2, WPA 1
Executive branch
executive president, first vice president, prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
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
Independence
26 May 1966 (from UK; formerly British Guiana)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Judicature
Leaders
Chief of State--President Hugh Desmond HOYTE (since 6 August 1985); First Vice President Hamilton GREEN (since 6 August 1985); Head of Government--Prime Minister Hamilton GREEN (since 6 August 1985)
Legal system
based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly
Long-form name
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Member of
ACP, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICJ, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
Other political or pressure groups
Trades Union Congress (TUC); Guyana Council of Indian Organizations (GCIO); Civil Liberties Action Committee (CLAC); the latter two organizations are small and active but not well organized
Political parties and leaders
People's National Congress (PNC), Hugh Desmond Hoyte; People's Progressive Party (PPP), Cheddi Jagan; Working People's Alliance (WPA), Eusi Kwayana, Rupert Roopnarine, Moses Bhagwan; Democratic Labor Movement (DLM), Paul Tennassee; People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Llewellyn John; National Democratic Front (NDF), Joseph Bacchus; United Force (UF), Marcellus Feilden Singh; Vanguard for Liberation and Democracy (VLD, also known as Liberator Party), Gunraj Kumar, J. K. Makepeace Richmond
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
most important sector, accounting for 25% of GDP and over 50% 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
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $109 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $234 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $242 million
Budget
revenues $173 million; expenditures $414 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (1988 est.)
Currency
Guyanese dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents
Electricity
221,000 kW capacity; 583 million kWh produced, 760 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Guyanese dollars (G$) per US$1--33.0000 (January 1990), 27.159 (1989), 10.000 (1988), 9.756 (1987), 4.272 (1986), 4.252 (1985)
Exports
$215 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.) commodities--bauxite, sugar, rice, shrimp, gold, molasses, timber, rum; partners--UK 37%, US 12%, Canada 10.6%, CARICOM 4.8% (1986)
External debt
$1.8 billion, including arrears (December 1988)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$323 million, per capita $420; real growth rate - 3.0% (1988 est.)
Imports
$216 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--manufactures machinery, food, petroleum; partners--CARICOM 41%, US 18%, UK 9%, Canada 3% (1984)
Industrial production
growth rate - 5.0% (1988 est.)
Industries
bauxite mining, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
35% (1988 est.)
Overview
After growing on average at less than 1% a year in 1984-87, GDP dropped by 3% in 1988, the result of bad weather, labor trouble in the canefields, and flooding and equipment problems in the bauxite industry. Consumer prices rose about 35%, and the current account deficit widened substantially as sugar and bauxite exports fell. Moreover, electric power is in short supply and constitutes a major barrier to future gains in national output. The government, in association with 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.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
66 total, 63 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
5 major transport aircraft
Highways
7,665 km total; 550 km paved, 5,000 km gravel, 1,525 km earth, 590 km unimproved
Inland waterways
6,000 km total of navigable waterways; Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo Rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively
Ports
Georgetown
Railroads
187 km total, all single track 0.914-meter gauge
Telecommunications
fair system with radio relay network; over 27,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad; stations--4 AM, 3 FM, no TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Guyana Defense Force (including Maritime Corps and Air Corps), Guyana Police Force, Guyana People's Militia, Guyana National Service
Defense expenditures
4.3% of GDP, or $13.8 million (1988 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 201,104; 152,958 fit for military service