Guyana
Source: NASA
Countries and Regions of the World Collection 
Guyana (formerly British Guiana) is a nation of three-quarters-of-a-million people in South American bounded on the west by Venezuela, on the north by the Caribbean Sea, on the east by Suriname, and on the south by Brazil.
It is 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.
Numerous rivers flow into the Caribbean Sea, generally in a northward direction. The Essequibo, the country's major river, runs from the Brazilian border in the south to a wide delta west of the capitol Georgetown. The rivers of eastern Guyana cut across the coastal zone, making east-west travel difficult, but they also provide limited water access to the interior. Waterfalls generally limit water transport to the lower reaches of each river.
Its main environmental issues are water pollution from sewage, agricultural and industrial chemicals; and deforestation (Deforestation in Amazonia).
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Flash floods are an ongoin threat during rainy seasons.
Before the arrival of Europeans, the region was inhabited by both Carib and Arawak tribes, who named it Guiana, which means "land of many waters."
The Dutch settled in Guyana in the late 16th century, but their control ended when the British became the de facto rulers in 1796.
In 1815, the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice were officially ceded to Great Britain at the Congress of Vienna and, in 1831, were consolidated as British Guiana.
Following the abolition of slavery in 1834, thousands of indentured laborers were brought to Guyana to replace the slaves on the sugarcane plantations, primarily from India but also from Portugal and China. The British stopped the practice in 1917.
Many of the Afro-Guyanese former slaves moved to the towns and became the majority urban population, whereas the Indo-Guyanese remained predominantly rural. A scheme in 1862 to bring black workers from the United States was unsuccessful.
The small Amerindian population lives in the country's interior.
The people drawn from these diverse origins have coexisted peacefully for the most part. Slave revolts, such as the one in 1763 led by Guyana's national hero, Cuffy, demonstrated the desire for basic rights but also a willingness to compromise. Politically inspired racial disturbances between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese erupted in 1962-64, and again following elections in 1997 and 2001. The conservative and cooperative nature of Guyanese society has contributed to a cooling of racial tensions; however, such tensions do constitute Guyana's most sensitive social stress point.
Guyana achieved independence from the UK (Create a New Article) in 1966, and since then it has been 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. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet Jagan, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat Jagdeo, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006. Donald Ramotor was elected president in 2011.
Contents
Geography
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic Coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Area: 214,970 km2 (196,850 km2 land and 18,120 km2 water)
Land Boundaries: 2,949 km - border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Coastline: 459 km
Maritime Claims: Territorial sea to 12 nautical miles; exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles; continental shelf to 200 nautical miles or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Natural Hazards: Flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons
Terrain: Mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south. The highest point is Mount Roraima (2,835 metres)
Climate: Tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)
Biodiversity and Ecology
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1. Amazon-Orinoco-Southern Caribbean mangroves (Guianan mangroves) 2. Orinoco Delta swamp forests 4. Guayanan Highlands moist forests 5. Pantepuis (Tepuis) 7. Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests See also: The North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) is characterized by its tropical climate. It extends in the Atlantic Ocean from the boundary with the Caribbean Sea to the Paraiba River estuary in Brazil. The LME owes its unity to the North Brazil Current, which flows parallel to Brazil’s coast and is an extension of the South Equatorial Current coming from the East. The LME is characterized by a wide shelf, and features macrotides and upwellings along the shelf edge. It has moderately diverse food webs and high production. |
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People and Society
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. The government has provided free primary and secondary education since 1975.
Population: 741,908 (July 2012 est.)
Ethnic groups: East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)
Age Structure: Median age: 23.9 years
0-14 years: 31.9% (male 120,981/female 116,654)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 235,566/female 235,717)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 14,801/female 21,049) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: -0.327% (2012 est.)
Birthrate: 16.69 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Death Rate: 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -12.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 67.39 years country
male: 63.57 years
female: 71.4 years (2012 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 2.27 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Languages: English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
Literacy: 98.8%
Urbanization: 29% of total population (2010) growing at an annual rate of change of 0.5% (2010-15 est.)
History
Before the arrival of Europeans, the region was inhabited by both Carib and Arawak tribes, who named it Guiana, which means "land of many waters." The Dutch settled in Guyana in the late 16th century, but their control ended when the British became the de facto rulers in 1796. In 1815, the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice were officially ceded to Great Britain at the Congress of Vienna and, in 1831, were consolidated as British Guiana. Following the abolition of slavery in 1834, thousands of indentured laborers were brought to Guyana to replace the slaves on the sugarcane plantations, primarily from India but also from Portugal and China. The British stopped the practice in 1917. Many of the Afro-Guyanese former slaves moved to the towns and became the majority urban population, whereas the Indo-Guyanese remained predominantly rural. A scheme in 1862 to bring black workers from the United States was unsuccessful. The small Amerindian population lives in the country's interior.
The people drawn from these diverse origins have coexisted peacefully for the most part. Slave revolts, such as the one in 1763 led by Guyana's national hero, Cuffy, demonstrated the desire for basic rights but also a willingness to compromise. Politically inspired racial disturbances between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese erupted in 1962-64, and again following elections in 1997 and 2001. The conservative and cooperative nature of Guyanese society has contributed to a cooling of racial tensions; however, such tensions do constitute Guyana's most sensitive social stress point.
Guyanese political history has been turbulent. The first modern political party in Guyana was the People's Progressive Party (PPP), established on January 1, 1950, with Forbes Burnham, a British-educated Afro-Guyanese, as chairman; Dr. Cheddi Jagan, a U.S.-educated Indo-Guyanese, as second vice chairman; and Dr. Jagan's American-born wife, Janet Jagan, as secretary general. The PPP won 18 out of 24 seats in the first popular elections permitted by the colonial government in 1953, and Dr. Jagan became leader of the house and minister of agriculture in the colonial government. Five months later, on October 9, 1953, the British suspended the constitution and landed troops because, they said, the Jagans and the PPP were planning to make Guyana a communist state. These events led to a split in the PPP, in which Burnham broke away and founded what eventually became the People's National Congress (PNC).
Race and ideology have long been the dominant political influences in Guyana. Since the split of the multiracial People's Progressive Party (PPP) in 1955, politics has been based more on ethnicity than on ideology. From 1964 to 1992, the People's National Congress (PNC) dominated Guyana's politics. The PNC draws its support primarily from urban Afro-Guyanese, and for many years declared itself a socialist vanguard party whose purpose was to make Guyana a nonaligned socialist state, in which the party, as in communist countries, was above all other institutions.
A majority of Indo-Guyanese have traditionally backed the PPP. Rice farmers and sugar workers in the rural areas form the bulk of PPP's support. Indo-Guyanese who dominate the country's urban business community also have provided important support to both parties, depending on which was in power at the time.
Following independence, and with the help of substantial foreign aid, social benefits were provided to a broader section of the population, specifically in health, education, housing, road and bridge building, agriculture, and rural development. During Forbes Burnham's last years, however, the government's attempts to build a socialist society, including banning importation of basic foodstuffs, caused a massive emigration of skilled workers, and, along with other economic factors, led to a significant decline in the overall quality of life in Guyana.
Elections were permitted again in 1957 and 1961, and Cheddi Jagan's PPP ticket won on both occasions, with 48% of the vote in 1957 and 43% in 1961. Cheddi Jagan became the first premier of British Guiana, a position he held for 7 years. At a constitutional conference in London in 1963, the U.K. Government agreed to grant independence to the colony but only after another election in which proportional representation would be introduced for the first time. It was widely believed that this system would reduce the number of seats won by the PPP and prevent it from obtaining a clear majority in Parliament. The December 1964 elections gave the PPP 46%, the PNC 41%, and the United Force (TUF), a conservative party, 12%. TUF threw its votes in the legislature to Forbes Burnham, who became prime minister.
Guyana achieved independence in May 1966, and became a republic on February 23, 1970--the anniversary of the Cuffy slave rebellion. From December 1964 until his death in August 1985, Forbes Burnham ruled Guyana in an increasingly autocratic manner, first as prime minister and later, after the adoption of a new constitution in 1980, as executive president. During that timeframe, elections were viewed in Guyana and abroad as fraudulent. Human rights and civil liberties were suppressed, and two major political assassinations occurred: the Jesuit Priest and journalist Bernard Darke in July 1979, and the distinguished historian and WPA Party leader Walter Rodney in June 1980. Agents of President Burnham are widely believed to have been responsible for both deaths.
Following Burnham's own death in 1985, Prime Minister Hugh Desmond Hoyte acceded to the presidency and was formally elected in the December 1985 national elections. Hoyte gradually reversed Burnham's policies, moving from state socialism and one-party control to a market economy and unrestricted freedom of the press and assembly.
As the elections scheduled for 1990 approached, Hoyte, under increasing pressure from inside and outside Guyana, gradually opened the political system. After a visit to Guyana by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1990, Hoyte made changes in the electoral rules, appointed a new chairman of the Elections Commission, and endorsed putting together new voters' lists, thus delaying the election. The elections, which finally took place in 1992, were witnessed by 100 international observers, including a group headed by Mr. Carter and another from the Commonwealth of Nations. Both groups issued reports saying that the elections had been free and fair, despite violent attacks on the Elections Commission building on election day and other irregularities. Cheddi Jagan was elected and sworn in as president on October 9, 1992.
Cheddi Jagan served as Premier (1957-64) and then minority leader in Parliament until his election as President in 1992. One of the Caribbean's most charismatic and famous leaders, Jagan was a founder of the PPP, which led Guyana's struggle for independence. Over the years, he moderated his Marxist-Leninist ideology. After his election as President, Jagan demonstrated a commitment to democracy, followed a pro-Western foreign policy, adopted free market policies, and pursued sustainable development for Guyana's environment. Nonetheless, he continued to press for debt relief and a new global human order in which developed countries would increase assistance to less developed nations. Jagan died on March 6, 1997, and was succeeded by Samuel A. Hinds, whom he had appointed Prime Minister. President Hinds then appointed Janet Jagan, widow of the late President, to serve as Prime Minister.
When President Jagan died in March 1997, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds replaced him in accordance with constitutional provisions. In national elections on December 15, 1997, President Jagan's widow, Janet Jagan was elected President, and her PPP party won a 55% majority of seats in Parliament. Mrs. Jagan had been a founding member of the PPP and was very active in party politics. In addition to becoming Guyana's first female president, she had also been Guyana's first female prime minister and vice president, two roles she performed concurrently before being elected to the presidency.
The PNC, which won just under 40% of the vote, disputed the results of the 1997 elections, alleging electoral fraud. Public demonstrations and some violence followed, until a CARICOM team came to Georgetown to broker an accord between the two parties, calling for an international audit of the election results, a redrafting of the constitution, and elections under the constitution within 3 years. Elections took place on March 19, 2001. More than 150 international observers representing six international missions witnessed the polling. The observers pronounced the elections fair and open although marred by some administrative problems. As in 1997, public demonstrations and some violence followed the election, with the opposition PNCR disputing the results.
President Janet Jagan resigned in August 1999 due to ill health and was succeeded by Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo, who had been named prime minister a day earlier. National elections were held on March 19, 2001.
The political disturbances following the election partially overlapped and politicized a major crime wave that gripped Guyana from the spring of 2002 through May 2003. By summer 2003 the worst of the crime wave had abated, and agitation over the election had subsided.
A lack of legal clarity over voter registration rules, in particular the legality of Guyanese remaining on the voter rolls after emigrating, fed a political stalemate that delayed the 2006 elections as opposition parties demanded a full house-to-house verification of the voter list. Ultimately, the election was held using the 2001 voting list--which the opposition had earlier deemed valid--plus new registrations. The Organization of American States and the Commonwealth observed the 2006 elections and considered them to be largely free and fair. Incumbent President Jagdeo won re-election with a voter turnout of over 90%. President Jagdeo won re-election again in national elections held on August 28, 2006, the first non-violent elections held in more than 20 years.
A general lack of trust between the predominantly Indo-Guyanese PPP/C and the almost exclusively Afro-Guyanese PNC/R persists. Co-founded prior to the 2006 parliamentary elections by disaffected members of the PPP/C and PNC/R, the Alliance For Change party has attempted to bridge the political and racial divide, but holds only five seats in Parliament and has gained minimal traction.
Due to constitutional term limits, President Jagdeo was ineligible to run for reelection again when his term concludes in 2011. Donald Ramotor was elected president in 2011.
Municipal elections were last held in 1994, and are now more than a decade overdue. In 2008, in anticipation of nationwide municipal elections in 2009, electoral authorities completed a national voter re-registration exercise. This exercise was scrutinized by the major political parties, and was designed to produce a fresh and widely accepted voter list. Municipal elections were postponed in 2010.
Government
Legislative power rests in a unicameral National Assembly, generally referred to as Parliament, with 40 members chosen on the basis of proportional representation from national lists named by the political parties. An additional 25 members are elected by regional administrative districts. The Parliament is not directly elected; each party presents slates of candidates at the time of national elections. After the election, each party leader selects from the party lists the individuals who will represent the party in Parliament. The president may dissolve the assembly and call new elections at any time, but no later than five years from its first sitting.
Executive authority is exercised by the president, who appoints and supervises the prime minister and other ministers. As with members of Parliament, the president is not directly elected; each party presenting a slate of candidates for the assembly must designate in advance a leader who will become president if that party receives the largest number of votes. Any dissolution of the assembly and election of a new assembly can lead to a change in the assembly majority and consequently a change in the presidency. Most cabinet ministers must be members of the National Assembly; the constitution limits non-member "technocrat" ministers to five. Technocrat ministers serve as non-elected members of the National Assembly, which permits them to debate but not to vote.
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Government Type: Republic Capital: Georgetown - 132,000 (2009) Administrative divisions: For administrative purposes, Guyana is divided into ten regions, each headed by a chairman who is appointed by the central government; the chairman presides over a regional democratic council. Local communities are administered by village or city councils. 10 regions:
Independence Date: 26 May 1966 (from the UK) Legal System: common law system, based on the English model, with some Roman-Dutch civil law influence. Guyana has not submitted an International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction declaration. It accepts International criminal court (ICCt) jurisdiction. The highest judicial body is the Court of Appeal, headed by a chancellor of the judiciary. The second level is the High Court, presided over by a chief justice. The chancellor and the chief justice are appointed by the president. International Environmental AgreementsGuyana is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, and Tropical Timber 94. |
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Agriculture
In 2009 the sugar industry experienced modest performance, with a 3.3% production increase that was the result of inclement weather and lower sugar cane yields during the first crop production and a large number of industrial disruptions during the second crop production. The rice industry output increased 9.2%, recording the highest annual production level in a decade and the second-highest production level in the history of the industry. This strong performance was attributed to increased acreage under cultivation, higher yields, favorable weather conditions, and fertilizer assistance from the government. Other crop sectors experienced 5.8% growth in 2009, as a result of the government’s “Grow More Food Campaign” and increased market access. The livestock sector recorded 2.5% growth, which was attributed to improved livestock breeds and more breeding stock.
Agricultural products: sugarcane, rice, edible oils; beef, pork, poultry; shrimp, fish
Fishing
The fishing sector fell by 10.5%, as a result of a reduction in demand in export markets and depletion of fishing stock in certain fishing grounds.
Forestry
The forestry sector recorded a 0.6% decline due to lower demand for forest products in export markets.
Irrigated Land: 1,500 sq km (2008)
Resources
The mining and quarrying sector recorded mixed performance in 2009, and the sector grew by 0.7%. Gold production increased by 14.7%, spurred by a continued increase in world market prices. The bauxite industry declined by 29%, reflecting a mix of internal and external developments. Diamond declaration declined 14.8%, as a result of productive capacity being diverted to the lucrative gold industry.
Natural Resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Land Use:
arable land: 2.23%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 97.63% (2005)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 241 cu km (2000)
Freshwater Withdrawal: 1.64 cu km/yr (2% domestic, 1% industrial, 98% agricultural)
Per Capita Freshwater Withdrawal: 2,187 cu m/yr (2000)
Access to improved drinking water sources: 94% of population
Access to improved sanitation facilities: 81% of population
In 2009 the sugar industry experienced modest performance, with a 3.3% production increase that was the result of inclement weather and lower sugar cane yields during the first crop production and a large number of industrial disruptions during the second crop production. The rice industry output increased 9.2%, recording the highest annual production level in a decade and the second-highest production level in the history of the industry. This strong performance was attributed to increased acreage under cultivation, higher yields, favorable weather conditions, and fertilizer assistance from the government. Other crop sectors experienced 5.8% growth in 2009, as a result of the government’s “Grow More Food Campaign” and increased market access. The livestock sector recorded 2.5% growth, which was attributed to improved livestock breeds and more breeding stock.
Fishing
The fishing sector fell by 10.5%, as a result of a reduction in demand in export markets and depletion of fishing stock in certain fishing grounds.
Forestry
The forestry sector recorded a 0.6% decline due to lower demand for forest products in export markets.
Economy
The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in recent years and is based largely on agriculture and extractive industries.
The economy is heavily dependent upon the export of six commodities - sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber, and rice - which represent nearly 60% of the country's GDP and are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in commodity prices.
Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 has broadened the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.
Economic recovery since a 2005 flood-related contraction was buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment in the sugar and rice industries as well as the mining sector.
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.
In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent to nearly 48% of GDP, which along with other Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt forgiveness brought the debt-to-GDP ratio down from 183% in 2006 to 120% in 2007.
Guyana became heavily indebted as a result of the inward-looking, state-led development model pursued in the 1970s and 1980s.
Growth slowed in 2009 as a result of the world recession, but picked up in 2010-11.
The slowdown in the domestic economy and lower import costs helped to narrow the country's current account deficit, despite generally lower earnings from exports.
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $5.814 billion (2011 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $2.5 billion (2011 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $7,500 (2011 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 24.2%
industry: 24%
services: 51.8% (2011 est.)
Industries: Bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Natural Resources: Bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish.
Currency: Guyanese dollars (GYD)
