Guyana

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

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

agricultural land:

8.4%;

• arable land 2.1%;
• permanent crops 0.1%;
• permanent pasture 6.2%

forest:

77.4%

other:

14.2% (2011 est.)

• population is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with notable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east;
• the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

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;
• contains some of the largest unspoiled rainforests on the continent

noun:

Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Guyanese

• population is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with noteable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east;
• the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.82 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Cooperative Republic of Guyana

conventional short form:

Guyana

former:

British Guiana

etymology:

• the name is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that included British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana;
• ultimately the word is derived from an indigenous Amerindian language and means "Land of Many Waters" (referring to the area's multitude of rivers and streams)

name:

Georgetown

geographic coordinates:

6 48 N, 58 09 W

time difference:

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

• several previous;
• latest promulgated 6 October 1980;
• amended many times, last in 2009 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

na

chief of state:

President David GRANGER (since 16 May 2015); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President David GRANGER (since 16 May 2015)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly

elections/appointments:

• the predesignated candidate of the winning party in the last National Assembly election becomes president for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 11 May 2015 (next to be held no later than 2020);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

David GRANGER (APNU-AFC) designated president by the majority party in the National Assembly

description:

unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies and a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 11 May 2015 (next to be held by May 2020)

election results:

percent of vote by party - APNU-AFC 50.3%, PPP/C 49.2%, other 0.5%; seats by party - APNU-AFC 33, PPP/C 32

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with a chief justice and 3 justices, and the High Court with a chief justice and 10 justices organized into 3- or 5-judge panels);
• note - in 2009, Guyana ceased final appeals in civil and criminal cases to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London), replacing it with the Caribbean Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the Caribbean Community

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal and High Court chief justices appointed by the president;
• other judges of both courts appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a body appointed by the president;
• judges appointed for life with retirement at age 65

subordinate courts:

Land Court; magistrates' courts

• A Partnership for National Unity or APNU [David A. GRANGER]
• Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN]
• Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]
• National Independent Party or NIP [Saphier Husain SUBEDAR]
• People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Donald RAMOTAR]
• The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]
• United Republican Party or URP [Vishnu BANDHU]

• Amerindian People's Association
• Guyana Bar Association
• Guyana Citizens Initiative
• Guyana Human Rights Association
• Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU
• Guyana Trans United
• Private Sector Commission
• Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination or SASOD
• Trades Union Congress

chief of mission:

Ambassador Riyad David INSANALLY (since 16 Sept 2016)

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 Perry L. HOLLOWAY (since 2 October 2015)

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

• 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

name:

"Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains"

lyrics/music:

Archibald Leonard LUKERL/Robert Cyril Gladstone POTTER

note: adopted 1966

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

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

lowest 10%:

1.3%

highest 10%:

33.8% (1999)

general assessment:

• reliable international long distance service;
• 100% digital network;
• national transmission supported by fiber optic cable and rural network by microwaves;
• more than 150,000 lines;
• many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity about 75 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 592;
• SIP trunking to most providers;
• international calls via diverse fiber optic cables;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2017)

• 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 has constrained competition in broadcast media (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

2; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

43,835

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

7,970 km

paved:

590 km

unpaved:

7,380 km (2001)

country comparison to the world: 141

total:

10

by type:

cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries:

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

country comparison to the world: 114

• 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 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (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

current situation:

• Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor – children are particularly vulnerable;
• women and girls from Guyana, Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are forced into prostitution in Guyana’s interior mining communities and urban areas;
• forced labor is reported in mining, agriculture, forestry, domestic service, and shops;
• Guyanese nationals are also trafficked to Suriname, Jamaica, and other Caribbean countries for sexual exploitation and forced labor

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• in 2014, Guyana was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• the government released its anti-trafficking action plan in June 2014 but made uneven efforts to implement it;
• law enforcement was weak, investigating seven trafficking cases, prosecuting four alleged traffickers, and convicting one trafficker – a police officer – who was released on bail pending appeal;
• in 2014, as in previous years, Guyanese courts dismissed the majority of ongoing trafficking prosecutions;
• the government referred some victims to care services, which were provided by NGOs with little or no government support (2015)

• 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