2010 Edition

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.

Area

land

196,849 sq km

total

214,969 sq km

water

18,120 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Idaho

Climate

tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

Coastline

459 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Roraima 2,835 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

2,187 cu m/yr (2000)

total

1.64 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)

Geographic coordinates

5 00 N, 59 00 W

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

Irrigated land

1,500 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km

total

2,949 km

Land use

arable land

2.23%

other

97.63% (2005)

permanent crops

0.14%

Location

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

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Natural resources

bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Terrain

mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Total renewable water resources

241 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 33.3% (male 127,818/female 123,261) 15-64 years: 62.1% (male 233,270/female 234,025) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 14,481/female 20,085) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

17.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

7.24 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

6.1% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.5% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

13,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

33.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

42.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

37.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu

Life expectancy at birth

female

70.74 years (2010 est.)

male

62.93 years

total population

66.74 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

female

91.6% (2002 Census)

male

92%

total population

91.8%

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)

Median age

female

24.3 years (2010 est.)

male

22.9 years

total

23.6 years

Nationality

adjective

Guyanese

noun

Guyanese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

-15.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

748,486 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.)

Population growth rate

-0.547% (2010 est.)

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)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2008)

male

12 years

total

12 years

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.)

Total fertility rate

2.4 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

28% of total population (2008)

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

geographic coordinates

6 48 N, 58 10 W

name

Georgetown

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

6 October 1980

Country name

conventional long form

Cooperative Republic of Guyana

conventional short form

Guyana

former

British Guiana

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

FAX

[592] 225-8497

mailing address

P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170

telephone

[592] 225-4900 through 4909

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Bayney KARRAN

consulate(s) general

New York

FAX

[1] (202) 232-1297

telephone

[1] (202) 265-6900

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

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

election results

President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%

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

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)

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

Government type

republic

Independence

26 May 1966 (from the UK)

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

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)

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 (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)

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

elections

last held on 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Archibald Leonard LUKERL/Robert Cyril Gladstone POTTER note: adopted 1966

name

"Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains"

National holiday

Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, rice, edible oils; shrimp, fish, beef, pork, poultry

Central bank discount rate

6.75% (31 December 2009) 6.75% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

14.54% (31 December 2009 est.) 14.58% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$311 million (2010 est.) -$265 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$804.3 million (30 September 2008) $1.2 billion (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

43.2 (1999)

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 slowed in 2009-10 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, despite generally lower earnings from exports.

Electricity - consumption

667 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

821 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 204.07 (2010), 204.02 (2009), 203.86 (2008), 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006)

Exports

$814 million (2010 est.) $763 million (2009 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)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

24.3%

industry

24.7%

services

51% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$6,800 (2010 est.) $6,600 (2009 est.) $6,400 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2010 est.) 2.3% (2009 est.) 3% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.197 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$5.069 billion (2010 est.) $4.946 billion (2009 est.) $4.834 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)

Imports

$1.366 billion (2010 est.) $1.161 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

Imports - partners

US 25.23%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.23%, Cuba 6.41%, China 6.05% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

2.5% (2010 est.)

Industries

bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.8% (2010 est.) 2.9% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

34.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

333,900 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA (31 December 2009) $289.9 million (31 December 2008) $262.4 million (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

10,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

10,550 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

57% of GDP (2010 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$506 million (31 December 2010 est.) $631.4 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.303 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $905.6 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$754 million (31 December 2010 est.) $524 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$386.9 million (31 December 2010 est) $252.9 million (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

11% (2007)

Broadcast media

government-dominated broadcast media; the National Communications Network (NCN) TV is state-owned; a few private TV stations relay satellite services; the state owns and operates 2 radio stations broadcasting on multiple frequencies capable of reaching the entire country; government limits on licensing of new private radio stations continue to constrain competition in broadcast media (2007)

Internet country code

.gy

Internet hosts

8,840 (2010)

Internet users

189,600 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; ; mobile-cellular teledensity about 35 per 100 persons in 2005

general assessment

fair system for long-distance service; microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services

international

country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

130,000 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

281,400 (2005)

Airports

96 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

86 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 73 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries

3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2010)

total

8

Ports and terminals

Georgetown

Roadways

paved

590 km

total

7,970 km

unpaved

7,380 km (2000)

Waterways

330 km note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2010)

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

female

8,452 (2010 est.)

male

8,842

Military branches

Guyana Defense Force

Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2009)

Military expenditures

1.8% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

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

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 page last updated on January 13, 2011 ======================================================================

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)