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2 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Guyana
n : a republic in northeastern South America; achieved
independence from England in 1966 [syn: {Co-operative
Republic of Guyana}, {British Guiana}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Guyana
Introduction Guyana
-------------------
Background: Guyana achieved independence from
the UK in 1966 and became a republic
in 1970. In 1989 Guyana launched an
Economic Recovery Program, which
marked a dramatic reversal from a
state-controlled, socialist economy
towards a more open, free market
system. Results through the first
decade have proven encouraging.
Geography Guyana
----------------
Location: Northern South America, bordering
the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 214,970 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho
Land boundaries: total: 2,462 km
border countries: Brazil 1,119 km,
Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Coastline: 459 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 NM or to the
outer edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by
northeast trade winds; two rainy
seasons (May to mid-August, mid-
November to mid-January)
Terrain: mostly rolling highlands; low
coastal plain; savanna in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood
timber, shrimp, fish
Land use: arable land: 2.44%
permanent crops: 0.08%
other: 97.48% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat
during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues: water pollution from sewage and
agricultural and industrial
chemicals; deforestation
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, 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 Guyana
-------------
Population: 698,209
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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.6% (male 98,198;
female 94,397)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 237,324;
female 233,400)
65 years and over: 5% (male 15,510;
female 19,380) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.23% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 17.89 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 9.33 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -6.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
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: 0.8 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 38.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.59 years
female: 65.34 years (2002 est.)
male: 59.96 years
Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 15,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 900 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese
Ethnic groups: East Indian 50%, black 36%,
Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and
mixed 7%
Religions: Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim
10%, other 5%
Languages: English, Amerindian dialects,
Creole, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever
attended school
total population: 98.1%
male: 98.6%
female: 97.5% (1995 est.)
Government Guyana
-----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Co-operative
Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana
Government type: republic within the Commonwealth
Capital: Georgetown
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
Independence: 26 May 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
Constitution: 6 October 1980
Legal system: based on English common law with
certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Bharrat
JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note
- assumed presidency after
resignation of President JAGAN
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: 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)
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: Supreme Court of Judicature;
Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court
Political parties and leaders: 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
[Hugh Desmond HOYTE]; 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]
Political pressure groups and Civil Liberties Action Committee or
leaders: 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
International organization ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC,
participation: FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Ali
Odeen ISHMAEL
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 chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald
US: D. GODARD
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets,
Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507,
Georgetown
telephone: [592] 225-4900 through
4909 and [592] 225-7961 through 7963
FAX: [592] 225-7316
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 Guyana
--------------
Economy - overview: The Guyanese economy has exhibited
moderate economic growth since 1999,
based on an 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.
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. Low prices for
key mining and agricultural
commodities combined with troubles
in the bauxite and sugar industries
threaten the government's already
tenuous fiscal position and dim
prospects for 2002.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.5
billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,600
(2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 36.1%
industry: 31.8%
services: 32.1% (2000)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 418,000 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%,
services NA%
Unemployment rate: 9.1% (2000) (understated)
Budget: revenues: $227 million
expenditures: $235.2 million,
including capital expenditures of
$93.4 million (2000)
Industries: bauxite, sugar, rice milling,
timber, textiles, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 505 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.01%
hydro: 0.99%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 469.65 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils;
beef, pork, poultry, dairy products;
fish (shrimp)
Exports: $505 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice,
shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners: Canada 22%, US 22%, UK 18%,
Netherlands Antilles 11% (1999)
Imports: $585 million (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum,
food
Imports - partners: US 29%, Trinidad and Tobago 18%,
Netherlands Antilles 16%, UK 7%
(1999)
Debt - external: $1.1 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted
Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253
million (1997)
Currency: Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Currency code: GYD
Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars per US dollar -
189.5 (December 2001), 187.3 (2001),
182.4 (2000), 178.0 (1999), 150.5
(1998), 142.4 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Guyana
---------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 70,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,100 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system for
long-distance calling
domestic: microwave radio relay
network for trunk lines
international: tropospheric scatter
to Trinidad; satellite earth station
- 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 420,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (one public station; two private
stations which relay US satellite
services) (1997)
Televisions: 46,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .gy
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)
Internet users: 3,000 (2000)
Transportation Guyana
---------------------
Railways: total: 187 km
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: total: 7,970 km
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (1996)
Waterways: 5,900 km (total length of navigable
waterways)
note: Berbice, Demerara, and
Essequibo rivers are navigable by
oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100
km, and 80 km, respectively
Ports and harbors: Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New
Amsterdam, Parika
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 2,929 GRT/4,507 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2 (2002 est.)
Airports: 51 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 36 (2001)
Military Guyana
---------------
Military branches: Guyana Defense Force (including
Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air
Corps), Guyana Police Force, Guyana
People's Militia, Guyana National
Service
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 206,199 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 155,058 (2002 est.)
service:
Military expenditures - dollar $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Transnational Issues Guyana
---------------------------
Disputes - international: all of the area west of the
Essequibo (river) claimed by
Venezuela; Suriname claims area
between New (Upper Courantyne) and
Courantyne/Kutari [Koetari] rivers
(all headwaters of the Courantyne);
territorial sea boundary with
Suriname is in dispute
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics
from South America - primarily
Venezuela - to Europe and the US;
producer of cannabis
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