Guyana

@Guyana:Geography

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

Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W

Map references: South America

Area: total: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km

Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho

Land boundaries: total: 2,462 km border countries: 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 fishing 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 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: 1,300 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Environment-current issues: water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation

Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

@Guyana:People

Population: 707,954 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 31% (male 112,339; female 108,095) 15-64 years: 64% (male 228,719; female 226,309) 65 years and over: 5% (male 14,652; female 17,840) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.47% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 18.49 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 8.72 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -14.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 48.67 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.34 years male: 59.5 years female: 65.32 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.12 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese

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

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

Languages: English, Amerindian dialects

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.1% male: 98.6% female: 97.5% (1995 est.)

@Guyana:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana

Data code: GY

Government type: republic

National 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: Executive President Janet JAGAN (since December 1997); replaced Samuel HINDS head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since 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 after legislative elections which must be held within five years; legislative elections last held 15 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (65 seats, 53 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 15 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2003) election results: percent of vote by party-PPP 54%, PNC 41%, AFG 1%, TUF 1%; seats by party-PPP 36, PNC 25, AFG 2, TUF 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature

Political parties and leaders: People's Progressive Party (PPP),
People's National Congress (PNC), Hugh Desmond HOYTE; For a Good and
Green Guyana (GGG), Hamilton GREEN; Alliance for Guyana (AFG), Rupert
ROOPNARINE; Democratic Labor Movement (DLM), Paul TENNASSEE; People's
Democratic Movement (PDM), Llewellyn JOHN; National Democratic Front
(NDF), Joseph BACCHUS; The United Force (TUF), Manzoor NADIR; National
Republican Party (NRP), Robert GANGADEEN; Guyana Labor Party (GLP);
Guyana Democratic Party (GDP), Asgar ALLY; Guyanese Organization for
Liberty and Democracy Party (GOLD), Anthony MEKDECI

Political pressure groups and leaders: Trades Union Congress (TUC); Guyana Council of Indian Organizations (GCIO); Civil Liberties Action Committee (CLAC) note: the latter two organizations are small and active but not well organized

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 (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Ali Odeen ISHMAEL chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 265-6900, 6901 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MACK embassy: 99-100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown telephone: (2) 54900 through 54909, 57960 through 57969 FAX: (2) 58497

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

@Guyana:Economy

Economy-overview: In 1997, Guyana, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, posted its sixth straight year of economic growth of 5% or better, with the advance led by gold and bauxite mining and by sugar growing. Favorable 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 the continued support of international organizations. Serious underlying economic problems will continue. Electric power has been in short supply and constitutes a major barrier to future gains in national output. The government must persist in efforts to manage its sizable external debt and extend its privatization program.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.8 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,500 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 39% industry: 28% services: 33% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 4.5% (1997 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: 12% (1992 est.)

Budget: revenues: $278 million expenditures: $299 million, including capital expenditures of $133 million (1996 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 5.6% (1994 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 114,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 230 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 339 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; development potential exists for fishing and forestry

Exports: total value: $546 million (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses partners: Canada 33%, US 24%, UK 22% (1994 est.)

Imports: total value: $589 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.) commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food partners: US 29%, Trinidad and Tobago 17%, Netherlands Antilles 17%, UK 11%, (1994 est.)

Debt-external: $1.5 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars (G$) per US$1-144.2 (January 1998), 142.4 (1997), 140.4 (1996), 142.0 (1995), 138.3 (1994), 126.7 (1993)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 33,000 (1987 est.)

Telephone system: 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 1

Radios: 398,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 11 (1995 est.)

Televisions: 32,000 (1992 est.)

@Guyana:Transportation

Railways: total: 88 km standard gauge: 40 km 1.435-m gauge (dedicated to ore transport) narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge (dedicated to ore transport)

Highways: total: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1996 est.)

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 and harbors: Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika

Merchant marine: total: 2 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,340 GRT/4,530 DWT (1997 est.)

Airports: 50 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 34 (1997 est.)

@Guyana:Military

Military branches: Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Ground Forces,
Coast Guard, and Air Corps), Guyana People's Militia (GPM), Guyana
National Service (GNS)

Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 201,126 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 151,963 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $7 million (1994)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.7% (1994)

@Guyana:Transnational Issues

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)

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