GUYANA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 214,970 km2; land area: 196,850 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Idaho Land boundaries: 2,462 km total; Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km Coastline: 459 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm 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) 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 Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 6%; forest and woodland 83%; other 8%; includes irrigated 1% Environment: flash floods a constant threat during rainy seasons; water pollution PEOPLE Population: 749,508 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.4% (1991) Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 20 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 51 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 68 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Guyanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Guyanese Ethnic divisions: East Indian 51%, black and mixed 43%, Amerindian 4%, European and Chinese 2% Religion: Christian 57%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 1% Language: English, Amerindian dialects Literacy: 95% (male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1990 est.) 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) Organized labor: 34% of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Co-operative Republic of Guyana Type: republic 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; formerly British Guiana) Constitution: 6 October 1980 Legal system: based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970) Executive branch: executive president, first vice president, prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature Leaders: 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) Political parties and leaders: 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 Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: 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 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 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 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 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 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 ECONOMY 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. GDP: $287.2 million, per capita $380; real growth rate - 3.3% (1989) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 105% (1989) Unemployment rate: 12-15% (1991 est.) Budget: revenues $65 million; expenditures $129 million, including capital expenditures of $6 million (1989 est.) 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) Imports: $319 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.); commodities--manufactures machinery, food, petroleum; partners--US 33%, CARICOM 10%, UK 9%, Canada 2% (1989) External debt: $1.7 billion, including arrears (December 1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 10.0% (1989 est.); accounts for more than 20% of GDP Electricity: 250,000 kW capacity; 635 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: bauxite mining, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining 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 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, $242 million Currency: Guyanese dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents 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) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 187 km total, all single track 0.914-meter gauge 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 Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft 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 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 DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Coast Guard and Air Corps), Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana People's Militia (GPM), Guyana National Service (GNS) Manpower availability: males 15-49, 195,142; 148,477 fit for military service Defense expenditures: $5.5 million, 6% of GDP (1989 est.)