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
land: 196,850 sq km
water : 18,120 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 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: 1,500 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 agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Tropical Timber 94

Population: 698,209 (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
male : 59.96 years
female: 65.34 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2002 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

Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.1%
male: 98.6%
female: 97.5% (1995 est.)

Country name:
conventional long form : Co-operative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana
former: British Guiana

Data code: GY

Government type: republic

National 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: Executive 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 (65 seats, 53 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 5 October 1992 (next to be held by October 1997)
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 leaders:Civil Liberties Action Committee or 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 participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, 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: AmbassadorDr. Ali Odeen ISHMAEL
chancery : 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900, 6901
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald D. GODARD
embassy: 99-100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown
telephone: [592] (2) 54900 through 54909, 57960 through 57969
FAX : [592] (2) 58497

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 - 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)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 6% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 418,000 (2001 est.)

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, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate: 7.1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 157,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production: 505 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 505 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; development potential exists for fishing and forestry

Exports:
total value: $505 million (f.o.b., 2000)
commodities : sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses
partners: Canada 22%, US 22%, UK 18%, Netherlands Antilles 11% (1999)

Imports:
total value: $585 million (c.i.f., 2000)
commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
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: 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents

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

Telephones: 70,000 (2000)

Telephone system: 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)

Railways:
total: 187 km
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge (dedicated to ore transport)
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge (dedicated to ore transport)

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 branches: Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Corps), Guyana People's Militia (GPM), Guyana National Service (GNS)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 206,199 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 155,058 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Disputes - international: 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)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to the US and Europe; producer of cannabis