Guyana

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

• mostly rolling highlands;
• low coastal plain;
• savanna in south

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

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

noun:

Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Guyanese

conventional long form:

Co-operative Republic of Guyana

conventional short form:

Guyana

former:

British Guiana

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 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%

• Supreme Court of Judicature;
• Judicial Court of Appeal;
• High Court

• 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 [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]

• Civil Liberties Action Committee or CLAC;
• Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO;
• Trades Union Congress or TUC

note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well organized

chief of mission:

Ambassador Bayney KARRAN

chancery:

2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-6900

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-1297

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Roland BULLEN

embassy:

100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown

mailing address:

P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown

telephone:

[592] 225-4900 through 4909

FAX:

[592] 225-8497

• 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

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

• sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils;
• beef, pork, poultry, dairy products;
• fish, shrimp

general assessment:

fair system for long-distance service

domestic:

microwave radio relay network for trunk lines

international:

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

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.)

total:

7,970 km

paved:

590 km

unpaved:

7,380 km (1999 est.)

total:

6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,475 GRT/8,758 DWT

by type:

cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries:

3 (2005)

• 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