CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Guyana


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!| Background:
 * 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, but until the early 1990s it was 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. Upon his death five years later, he was succeeded by his wife Janet, who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 18,120 sq km land: 196,850 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 0.15% other: 97.41% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
 * 5 00 N, 59 00 W
 * South America
 * total: 214,970 sq km
 * slightly smaller than Idaho
 * total: 2,462 km
 * 459 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * 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
 * lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
 * bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
 * arable land: 2.44%
 * 1,500 sq km (1998 est.)
 * flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons
 * water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
 * 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
 * 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
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!| Population: note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 68.3% (male 243,224; female 239,047) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,000; female 20,295) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 25.6 years female: 26.8 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 32.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 41.28 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 60.12 years female: 64.84 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Guyanese !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.)
 * 705,803
 * 0-14 years: 26.5% (male 95,431; female 91,806)
 * total: 26.2 years
 * 0.61% (2004 est.)
 * 17.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 9.71 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 37.22 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 62.43 years
 * 2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 2.5% (2003 est.)
 * 11,000 (2003 est.)
 * 1,100 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
 * East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7%
 * Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
 * English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
 * definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since NA 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 !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well organized !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: 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 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana
 * republic within the Commonwealth
 * Georgetown
 * 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
 * 26 May 1966 (from UK)
 * Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
 * 6 October 1980
 * based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN
 * unicameral National Assembly (68 seats, 65 elected by popular vote, 1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 nonvoting members appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
 * 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/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]; 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
 * ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Roland BULLEN
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 22.7% services: 40.1% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $326.7 million, including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2003) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, 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. Growth then slowed in 2003. 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. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term by restructuring and partial privatization.
 * purchasing power parity - $2.797 billion (2003 est.)
 * 0.5% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 37.2%
 * 38.5% of GDP (2003)
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 5.7% (2003 est.)
 * 418,000 (2001 est.)
 * agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
 * 9.1% (understated) (2000)
 * revenues: $263.4 million
 * sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish (shrimp)
 * bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
 * 7.1% (1997 est.)
 * 852 million kWh (2001)
 * 792.4 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 11,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $-158 million (2003)
 * $512 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
 * Canada 23.2%, US 21.8%, UK 13.5%, Portugal 6.7%, Belgium 6.5%, Jamaica 6.1% (2003)
 * $612 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
 * US 22.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.2%, Italy 11.2%, UK 7.2%, Cuba 5.2% (2003)
 * $257 million (2003)
 * $1.2 billion (2002)
 * $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) (2000 est.)
 * Guyanese dollar (GYD)
 * GYD
 * Guyanese dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 190.665 (2002), 187.321 (2001), 182.43 (2000), 177.995 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 80,400 (2002)
 * 87,300 (2002)
 * general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling
 * AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
 * 420,000 (1997)
 * 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
 * 46,000 (1997)
 * .gy
 * 613 (2003)
 * 3 (2000)
 * 125,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.) narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge !| Highways: paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1999 est.) !| Waterways: note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2004) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: foreign-owned: Barbados 1, Panama 1 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.) by type: cargo 3, container 1, refrigerated cargo 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.)
 * total: 187 km
 * total: 7,970 km
 * 1,077 km
 * Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika
 * total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,475 GRT/8,758 DWT
 * 49 (2003 est.)
 * total: 8
 * total: 41
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps; Guyana People's Militia
 * males age 15-49: 209,545 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 157,264 (2004 est.)
 * $6.5 million (2003)
 * 0.8% (2003)
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