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.
Government
type: republic within the Commonwealth
Capital: Georgetown
Currency: 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents
Geography of Guyana
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Area:
total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km
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 fishing 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%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 84%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,300 sq km (1993 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 agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, 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.
More Geography
People of Guyana
Guyana's population is made up of five main ethnic groups--East Indian,
African, Amerindian, Chinese, and Portuguese. Ninety percent of the
inhabitants live on the narrow coastal plain, where population density is
more than 115 persons per square kilometer (380 per sq. mi.). The population
density for Guyana as a whole is low--less than four persons per square
kilometer. Although the government has provided free education from nursery
school to the university level since 1975, it has not allocated sufficient
funds to maintain the standards of what had been considered the best
educational system in the region. Many school buildings are in poor
condition, there is a shortage of text and exercise books, the number of
teachers has declined, and fees are being charged at the university level
for some courses of study for the first time.
Population: 765,283 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.19%
15-64 years: 66.89%
65 years and over: 4.92%
Population growth rate: 0.07%
Birth rate: 17.92 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 8.87 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 38.72 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.31 years
male: 60.52 years
female: 66.24 years
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese
Ethnic groups: East Indian 49%, black 32%, mixed 12%, Amerindian 6%,
white and Chinese 1%
Religions: Christian 50%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 8%
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.)
More about the Population
SOURCES: The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State |