Guyana
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
republicIndependence 26 May 1966 (from UK)
Guyana as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 133 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
20 fieldsLand useshare of 214,970 sq km
Climate
- tropical;
- hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds;
- two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 1.64 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)
- per capita:
- 2,187 cu m/yr (2000)
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
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
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2002 census)
Religions(2002 census)
Sex ratio
- 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:
- 0.73 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
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 (2008)
Government
Republic; President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); 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)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
National Assembly, 65 seats, elected 28 August 2006one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Cooperative Republic of Guyana
- conventional short form:
- Guyana
- former:
- British Guiana
Capital
- name:
- Georgetown
- geographic coordinates:
- 6 48 N, 58 10 W
- time difference:
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
Legal system
based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- 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
- 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)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature
- 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 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011);
- prime minister appointed by the president
- election results:
- President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%
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; to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)
- 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
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice
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
International organization participation
ACP, 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, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador John Melvin JONES
- embassy:
- US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170
- telephone:
- [592] 225-4900 through 4909
- FAX:
- [592] 225-8497
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
48 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2007 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-07, 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.
Economic recovery since the 2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment. 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. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations.
Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 will broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products
Exchange rates
Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- fair system for long-distance service
- domestic:
- microwave radio relay network for trunk lines;
- fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons;
- many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services;
- mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005
- international:
- country code - 592;
- tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Television broadcast stations
3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Waterways
Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 8
- by type:
- cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
- registered in other countries:
- 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2008)
Military
Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2007)
6 fieldsMilitary service age and obligation
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - 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
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)
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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Guyana.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/guyana/2008.