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

• 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

• 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

total:

27.9 years (2023 est.)

male:

27.8 years

female:

28 years

• 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

15-64 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.78 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

total:

21.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male:

24.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

18.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

72.2 years (2023 est.)

male:

70.3 years

female:

74.1 years

degree of risk:

very high (2023)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

total:

5.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

2.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

12.1% (2020 est.)

male:

21.7% (2020 est.)

female:

2.4% (2020 est.)

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

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

urban population:

27.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

11.11 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

2.38 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

1.81 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

179,252 tons (2010 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

968 tons (2010 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

0.5% (2010 est.)

municipal:

60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

1.36 billion cubic meters (2020 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)

etymology:

when the British took possession of the town from the Dutch in 1812, they renamed it Georgetown in honor of King GEORGE III (1738-1820)

history:

several previous; latest promulgated 6 October 1980

amendments:

• proposed by the National Assembly;
• passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, such as national sovereignty, government structure and powers, and constitutional amendment procedures, requires approval by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum, and assent of the president;
• other amendments only require Assembly approval;
• amended many times, last in 2016

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

na

chief of state:

• President Mohammed Irfaan ALI (since 2 August 2020);
• First Vice President Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020);
• Vice President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 2 August 2020);
• Prime Minister Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020) ;
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Mohammed Irfaan ALI (since 2 August 2020);
• First Vice President Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020);
• Vice President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 2 August 2020)

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 2 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

2020: Mohammed Irfaan ALI (PPP/C) designated president by the majority party in the National Assembly; 2015: David GRANGER (APNU-AFC) designated president by the majority party in the National Assembly

description:

unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 40 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituencies, 25 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - all by closed-list proportional representation vote, 2 non-elected ministers, 2 non-elected parliamentary secretaries, and the speaker; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 2 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - PPP/C 50.69%, APNU-AFC 47.34%, LJP 0.58%, ANUG 0.5%, TNM 0.05%, other 0.84%;
• seats by party - PPP/C 33, APNU-AFC 31, LJP-ANUG-TNM 1;
• composition (elected and non-elected) - men 45, women 25, percent of women 35.7%;
• note - the initial results were declared invalid and a partial recount was conducted from 6 May to 8 June 2020, in which PPP/C was declared the winner

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 acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal in civil and criminal cases, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

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 New and United Guyana or ANUG [Ralph RAMKARRAN]
• A Partnership for National Unity or APNU [Joseph HARMON]
• Alliance for Change or AFC [Khemraj RAMJATTAN]
• Justice for All Party [Chandra Narine SHARMA]
• Liberty and Justice Party or LJP [Lenox SHUMAN]
• National Independent Party or NIP [Saphier Husain SUBEDAR]
• People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Dr. Bharrat JAGDEO]
• The New Movement or TNM [Dr. Asha KISSOON]
• The United Force or TUF [Marissa NADIR]
• United Republican Party or URP [Vishnu BANDHU]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Samuel Archibald HINDS (since 7 July 2021)

chancery:

2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-6900

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-1297

email address and website:

[email protected]

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Sarah-Ann LYNCH (since 13 March 2019)

embassy:

100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown

mailing address:

3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170

telephone:

[592] 225-4900 through 4909

FAX:

[592] 225-8497

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://gy.usembassy.gov/

• 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;
• also referred to by its nickname The Golden Arrowhead

name:

"Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains"

lyrics/music:

Archibald Leonard LUKERL/Robert Cyril Gladstone POTTER

note: adopted 1966

• small, hydrocarbon-driven South American export economy;
• major forest coverage being leveraged in carbon credit offsets to encourage preservation;
• strengthening financial sector;
• large bauxite and gold resources

total:

29.9% (2021 est.)

male:

23.5%

female:

39.6%

lowest 10%:

1.3%

highest 10%:

33.8% (1999)

production:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

110,200 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

18,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

0 barrels (2021 est.)

production:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• after many years of delays and legal challenges, the 2016 Telecommunications Act was brought into force in October 2020 by the newly elected government of the People’s Party Progressive (PPP);
• the Telecommunications Act sets out a framework for enabling competition across all segments of the telecommunications sector in Guyana;
• the mobile market has been open to competition since 2001;
• the Telecommunications Act presents the country with the potential to benefit from a more level playing field that may attract new players, but nevertheless Guyana’s relatively small size and low GDP may restrict it from reaching its full potential for some more years to come (2021)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity is about 16 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity about 110 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 592;
• landing point for the SG-SCS submarine cable to Suriname, and the Caribbean;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

• 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

total:

3,995 km (2019)

paved:

799 km (2019)

unpaved:

3,196 km (2019)

Guyana-Venezuela:

• Venezuela claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River and maintains that Guyana does not have jurisdiction to grant concessions in maritime areas off the Essequibo, waters which are potentially rich in hydrocarbon resources;
• Guyana submitted the dispute to the International Court of Justice in 2018;
• the ICJ ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear the case in December 2020;
• in September 2021, Venezuelan officials issued a statement reasserting dominion over three-quarters of Guyana, which Guyana stated was a threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity;
• in December 2023, the Venezuelan Government conducted a public referendum asking its citizens to support establishing a state in the disputed territory, granting citizenship to current and future area residents, and rejecting the jurisdiction of the ICJ

Guyana-Suriname:

Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari Rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne River

• a transit country for cocaine destined for the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, and West Africa;
• growing domestic marijuana cultivation and consumption