Guyana

Airports

58 total, 55 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; none with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 14 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

Highways

7,665 km total; 550 km paved, 5,000 km gravel, 1,525 km earth, 590 km unimproved

Inland waterways

6,000 km total of navigable waterways; Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo Rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively

Ports

Georgetown

Railroads

187 km total, all single track 0.914-meter gauge

Telecommunications

fair system with radio relay network; over 27,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad; stations--4 AM, 3 FM, no TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Coast Guard and Air Corps), Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana People's Militia (GPM), Guyana National Service (GNS)

Defense expenditures

$5.5 million, 6% of GDP (1989 est.)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 195,142; 148,477 fit for military service

Agriculture

most important sector, accounting for 27% of GDP and about 50% of exports; sugar and rice are key crops; development potential exists for fishing and forestry; not self-sufficient in food, especially wheat, vegetable oils, and animal products

Budget

revenues $65 million; expenditures $129 million, including capital expenditures of $6 million (1989 est.)

Currency

Guyanese dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $116 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $244 million; Communist countries 1970-89, $242 million

Electricity

250,000 kW capacity; 635 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates

Guyanese dollars (G$) per US$1--45.00 (since June 1990), 39.533 (1990), 27.159 (1989), 10.000 (1988), 9.756 (1987), 4.272 (1986), 4.252 (1985)

Exports

$234 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.); commodities--bauxite, sugar, gold, rice, shrimp, molasses, timber, rum; partners--UK 31%, US 23%, CARICOM 7%, Canada 6% (1988)

External debt

$1.7 billion, including arrears (December 1990 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$287.2 million, per capita $380; real growth rate - 3.3% (1989)

Imports

$319 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.); commodities--manufactures machinery, food, petroleum; partners--US 33%, CARICOM 10%, UK 9%, Canada 2% (1989)

Industrial production

growth rate - 10.0% (1989 est.); accounts for more than 20% of GDP

Industries

bauxite mining, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

105% (1989)

Overview

After growing on average at less than 1% a year in 1986-87, GDP dropped by 3% a year in 1988-89. The decline resulted from bad weather, labor trouble in the canefields, and flooding and equipment problems in the bauxite industry. Consumer prices rose about 35% in 1988 and by over 100% in 1989, and the current account deficit widened substantially as sugar and bauxite exports fell. Moreover, electric power is in short supply and constitutes a major barrier to future gains in national output. The government, in association with international financial agencies, seeks to reduce its payment arrears and to raise new funds. The government's stabilization program--aimed at establishing realistic exchange rates, reasonable price stability, and a resumption of growth--requires considerable public administrative abilities and continued patience by consumers during a long incubation period.

Unemployment rate

12-15% (1991 est.)

Climate

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

Coastline

459 km Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Idaho

Disputes

all of the area west of the Essequibo river claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne)

Environment

flash floods a constant threat during rainy seasons; water pollution

Land boundaries

2,462 km total; Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km

Land use

arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 6%; forest and woodland 83%; other 8%; includes irrigated 1%

Natural resources

bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Terrain

mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Total area

214,970 km2; land area: 196,850 km2

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

Capital

Georgetown

Communists

100 (est.) hardcore within PPP; top echelons of PPP and PYO (Progressive Youth Organization, militant wing of the PPP) include many Communists; small but unknown number of orthodox Marxist-Leninists within PNC, some of whom formerly belonged to the PPP

Constitution

6 October 1980

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Dr. Cedric Hilburn GRANT; Chancery at 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-6900; there is a Guyanese Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador George JONES; Embassy at 31 Main Street, Georgetown; telephone [592] (02) 54900 through 54909

Executive branch

executive president, first vice president, prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

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

Independence

26 May 1966 (from UK; formerly British Guiana)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Judicature Chief of State--Executive President Hugh Desmond HOYTE (since 6 August 1985); First Vice President Hamilton GREEN (since 6 August 1985); Head of Government--Prime Minister Hamilton GREEN (since NA August 1985) People's National Congress (PNC), Hugh Desmond HOYTE; People's Progressive Party (PPP), Cheddi JAGAN; Working People's Alliance (WPA), Eusi KWAYANA, Rupert ROOPNARINE, Moses BHAGWAN; Democratic Labor Movement (DLM), Paul TENNASSEE; People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Llewellyn JOHN; National Democratic Front (NDF), Joseph BACCHUS; United Force (UF), Marcellus Feilden SINGH; United Republican Party (URP), Leslie RAMSAMMY; National Republican Party (NRP), Robert GANGADEEN

Legal system

based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly

Long-form name

Co-operative Republic of Guyana

Member of

ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Other political or pressure groups

Trades Union Congress (TUC); Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) includes various labor groups as well as several of the smaller parties; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations (GCIO); Civil Liberties Action Committee (CLAC); the latter two organizations are small and active but not well organized; Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) includes various labor groups, as well as several of the smaller political parties

Suffrage

universal at age 18 Executive President--last held on 9 December 1985 (next to be held mid-1991); Hugh Desmond HOYTE was elected president (the leader of the party with the most votes in the National Assembly elections); National Assembly--last held on 9 December 1985 (next to be held mid-1991); results--PNC 78%, PPP 16%, UF 4%, WPA 2%; seats--(65 total, 53 elected) PNC 42, PPP 8, UF 2, WPA 1

Type

republic

Birth rate

23 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic divisions

East Indian 51%, black and mixed 43%, Amerindian 4%, European and Chinese 2%

Infant mortality rate

51 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

268,000; industry and commerce 44.5%, agriculture 33.8%, services 21.7%; public-sector employment amounts to 60-80% of the total labor force (1985)

Language

English, Amerindian dialects

Life expectancy at birth

61 years male, 68 years female (1991)

Literacy

95% (male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun--Guyanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Guyanese

Net migration rate

- 20 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor

34% of labor force

Population

749,508 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.4% (1991)

Religion

Christian 57%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 1%

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (1991)