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Guyana
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 Location of Guyana within the continent of South America | |||
 Map of Gayuna | |||
 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; green represents forest and foliage; yellow stands for mineral resources and a bright future; white symbolizes Guyana's rivers; red signifies zeal and the sacrifice of the people; black indicates perseverance |
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Republic of Guyana
- The Guyana is divided into Regions, Cities, Towns, and Villages.
- Capital City: Georgetown
Official name Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Form of government unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (National Assembly [651])
Head of state President: Donald Ramotar
Head of government Prime Minister: Sam Hinds
Official language English
Official religion none
Monetary unit Guyanese dollar (G$)
Population (2013 est.) 759,000COLLAPSE
Total area (sq mi) 83,012
Total area (sq km) 214,999
Urban-rural population
- Urban: (2005) 38.5%
- Rural: (2005) 61.5%
Life expectancy at birth
- Male: (2012) 63.6 years
- Female: (2012) 71.4 years
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate
- Male: (2005) 99.2%
- Female: (2005) 98.7%
GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2012) 3,410
| THE GUYANA COAT OF ARMS | |||
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Background of Guyana
Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK 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 RAMOTAR was elected president in 2011.
GuGuyana’s populace is mainly of colonial origin, although Indians are scattered throughout the forested interior. The more numerous coastal peoples are chiefly descendants of slaves from Africa and indentured workers from India, who were originally transported to work the coastal sugarcane plantations. Ethnic problems between the last two groups have played a disruptive role in Guyanese society.
Guyana has been a member of the Commonwealth (an international group made up of the United Kingdom and a number of its former dependencies) since 1970. Politically, however, Guyana moved on a steady course toward communism from the time of independence until the death of the first prime minister, Forbes Burnham, in 1985, after which ties with Western powers were strengthened, and by the 1990s privatization had begun.yana, country located in the northeastern corner of South America. Indigenous peoples inhabited Guyana prior to European settlement, and their name for the land, guiana (“land of water”), gave the country its name. Present-day Guyana reflects its British and Dutch colonial past and its reactions to that past. It is the only English-speaking country of South America. Since Guyana gained its independence in 1966, the country’s chief economic assets have been its natural resources, mainly its pristine rainforests, sugarcane plantations, rice fields, and bauxite and gold reserves. Despite these riches, Guyana remains one of the poorest countries in South America. The capital and chief port is Georgetown.
| THE NATIONAL ANTHEM | GUYANA's NANATIONAL PLEDGE TO THE FLAG | SONG OF THE REPUBLIC |
|---|---|---|
|
Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains |
I pledge myself to honor always the Flag of Guyana |
From Pakaraima's peak of pow'r We'll forge a nation's might soul Guyana, climb the glorious perch |
The Guyana coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on an escutcheon (i.e. shield), surcoat, or tabard. A surcoat, and subsequently a coat of arms was used by medieval knights to cover, protect, and identify the wearer. Thus these are sometimes called coat armory. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement which consists of shield, supporters, crest, and motto. The design is a symbol unique to an individual person or family (except in the UK), corporation, or state. Such displays are commonly called armorial bearings, armorial devices, heraldic devices, or simply arms.
Sometimes the term coat of arms is used to refer to the full achievement, but this usage is wrong in a strict sense of heraldic terminology.[1][2]
The ancient Romans used similar insignias on their shields, but these identified military units rather than individuals. The first evidence of medieval coats of arms is found in the Bayeux Tapestry from the 11th Century, where some of the combatants carry shields painted with crosses. Coats of arms came into general use by feudal lords and knights in battle in the 12th Century. By the 13th Century arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a kind of flag or logo for families in the higher social classes of Europe, inherited from one generation to the next. Exactly who had a right to use arms, by law or social convention, varied to some degree between countries. In the German-speaking region both the aristocracy and burghers (non-noble free citizens) used arms, while in most of the rest of Europe they were limited to the aristocracy. The use of arms spread to Church clergy, and to towns as civic identifiers, and to royally-chartered organizations such as universities and trading companies. Flags developed from coats of arms, and the arts of vexillology and heraldry are closely related. The coats of arms granted to commercial companies are a major source of the modern logo.
Despite no widespread regulation, and even with a lack in many cases of national regulation, heraldry has remained rather consistent across Europe, where traditions alone have governed the design and use of arms.[citation needed] Unlike seals and other general emblems, heraldic achievements have a formal description called a blazon, expressed in a jargon that allows for consistency in heraldic depictions.
In the 21st century, coats of arms are still in use by a variety of institutions and individuals; for example, many European cities and universities have guidelines on how their coats of arms may be used, and protect their use as trademarks.[3][4][5] Many societies exist that also aid in the design and registration of personal arms. Some nations, like England and Scotland, still maintain the same heraldic authorities which have traditionally granted and regulated arms for centuries and continue to do so in the present day.
Geography of Guyana
- Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
- Geographic Coordinate: 5 00 N, 59 00 W
- Map Reference: South America
total: 214,969 sq km
- Area
- country comparison to the world: 85
- land: 196,849 sq km
- water: 18,120 sq km
- Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho
- Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to 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: 1.95%
- permanent crops: 0.13%
- other: 97.92% (2011)
- Irrigated land: 1,501 sq km (2003)
- Total renewable water resources: 241 cu km (2011)
- Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
- total: 1.64 cu km/yr (4%/1%/94%)
- per capita: 2,222 cu m/yr (2010)
- Natural hazards: flash flood 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, 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
Guyana, country located in the northeastern corner of South America. Indigenous peoples inhabited Guyana prior to European settlement, and their name for the land, guiana (“land of water”), gave the country its name. Present-day Guyana reflects its British and Dutch colonial past and its reactions to that past. It is the only English-speaking country of South America. Since Guyana gained its independence in 1966, the country’s chief economic assets have been its natural resources, mainly its pristine rainforests, sugarcane plantations, rice fields, and bauxite and gold reserves. Despite these riches, Guyana remains one of the poorest countries in South America. The capital and chief port is Georgetown.--->>>>Read More.<<<
Demography of Guyana
- Nationality:
- noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
- adjective: Guyanese
- Ethnic groups: East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)
- Languages: English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
- Religions: Protestant 30.5% (Pentecostal 16.9%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%), Hindu 28.4%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Muslim 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, other 1.9%, none 4.3%, unspecified 0.9% (2002 est.)
- Demographic profile: Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and shares cultural and historical bonds with the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana's two largest ethnic groups are the Afro-Guyanese (descendants of African slaves) and the Indo-Guyanese (descendants of Indian indentured laborers), which together comprise about three quarters of Guyana's population. Tensions periodically have boiled over between the two groups, which back ethnically based political parties and vote along ethnic lines. Poverty reduction has stagnated since the late 1990s. About one-third of the Guyanese population lives below the poverty line; indigenous people are disproportionately affected. Although Guyana's literacy rate is reported to be among the highest in the Western Hemisphere, the level of functional literacy is considerably lower, which has been attributed to poor education quality, teacher training, and infrastructure.
Guyana's emigration rate is among the highest in the world - more than 55% of its citizens reside abroad - and it is one of the largest recipients of remittances relative to GDP among Latin American and Caribbean counties. Although remittances are a vital source of income for most citizens, the pervasive emigration of skilled workers deprives Guyana of professionals in healthcare and other key sectors. More than 80% of Guyanese nationals with tertiary level educations have emigrated. Brain drain and the concentration of limited medical resources in Georgetown hamper Guyana's ability to meet the health needs of its predominantly rural population. Guyana has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region and continues to rely on international support for its HIV treatment and prevention programs.
- Population: 735,554
- country comparison to the world: 165
- note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2014 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years: 29% (male 108,703/female 104,793)
- 15-24 years: 21% (male 79,354/female 74,921)
- 25-54 years: 37.2% (male 142,348/female 131,108)
- 55-64 years: 7.5% (male 24,677/female 30,562)
- 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,318/female 22,770) (2014 est.)
- Dependency ratios:
- total dependency ratio: 63.5 %
- youth dependency ratio: 57.7 %
- elderly dependency ratio: 5.7 %
- potential support ratio: 17.5 (2014 est.)
- Median age:
- total: 25 years
- male: 24.6 years
- female: 25.4 years (2014 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- -0.11% (2014 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 204
- Birth rate:
- 15.9 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 125
Death rate:
- 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 122
- Net migration rate:
- -9.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 214
- Urbanization:
- urban population: 28.4% of total population (2011)
- rate of urbanization: 0.53% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
- Major urban areas - population:
- GEORGETOWN (capital) 127,000 (2011)
- Sex ratio:
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
- Mother's mean age at first birth: 20.8
- note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2009 est.)
- Maternal mortality rate:
- 280 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 43
- Infant mortality rate:
- total: 33.56 deaths/1,000 live births
- country comparison to the world: 65
- male: 37.57 deaths/1,000 live births
- female: 29.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population: 67.81 years
- country comparison to the world: 162
- male: 64.82 years
- female: 70.96 years (2014 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 2.14 children born/woman (2014 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 106
- Contraceptive prevalence rate: 42.5% (2009)
- Health expenditures:5.9% of GDP (2011)
- country comparison to the world: 114
- Physicians density: 0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
- Hospital bed density: 2 beds/1,000 population (2009)
- Drinking water source:trr
improved:
- unimproved:
- urban: 3.4% of population
- rural: 2.1% of population
- total: 2.4% of population (2012 est.)
- Sanitation facility access:
improved:
- urban: 87.9% of population
- rural: 82% of population
- total: 83.6% of population
unimproved:
- urban: 12.1% of population
- rural: 18% of population
- total: 16.4% of population (2012 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.3% (2012 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 37
- HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,200 (2012 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 116
- HIV/AIDS - deaths:
- 100 (2012 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 134
- Major infectious diseases:
- degree of risk: very high
- food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2013)
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 17.2% (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 113
- Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 11.1% (2009)
- country comparison to the world: 66
- Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2012)
- country comparison to the world: 136
- Literacy:
- definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
- total population: 91.8%
- male: 92%
- female: 91.6% (2002 Census)
- School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
- total: 10 years
- male: 9 years
- female: 11 years (2012)
- Child labor - children ages 5-14:
- total number: 30,255
- percentage: 16 % (2006 est.)
- Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
- total: 46.05%
- country comparison to the world: 8
- male: 43.59%
- female: 50% (2011)
Ethnic groups South Asians form the largest ethnic group in the country—they represent more than two-fifths of the population—and have been increasing more rapidly than other groups. Their ancestors arrived mostly as indentured labour from India to replace Africans in plantation work. Today South Asians remain the mainstay of plantation agriculture, and many are independent farmers and landowners; they also have done well in trade and are well represented among the professions.--->>>>Read More.<<<
Economy of Guyana
Economy - overview: 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. Guyana has experienced positive growth almost every year over the past decade. Inflation has been kept under control. Recent years have seen the government's stock of debt reduced significantly - with external debt now less than half of what it was in the early 1990s. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. Despite recent improvements, the government is still 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 21% 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 60% in 2013. Guyana had become heavily indebted as a result of the inward-looking, state-led development model pursued in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of Guyana's growth in recent years has come from a surge in gold production in response to global prices, although downward trends in gold prices may threaten future growth. In 2013, production of sugar dropped to a 23-year low.
- GDP (purchasing power parity): $6.593 billion (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 163 $6.26 billion (2012 est.) $5.972 billion (2011 est.)
- note: data are in 2013 US dollars
- GDP (official exchange rate): $3.02 billion (2013 est.)
- GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
- 4.8% (2012 est.)
- 5.4% (2011 est.)
- GDP - per capita (PPP):
- $8,500 (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 129
- $8,100 (2012 est.)
- $7,700 (2011 est.)
- note: data are in 2013 US dollars
- Gross national saving:
- 6.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 145
- 8.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
- 9.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
- GDP - composition, by end use:
- household consumption: 85.6%
- government consumption: 16.3%
- investment in fixed capital: 22.5%
- investment in inventories: -13.5%
- exports of goods and services: 59.9%
- imports of goods and services: -70.8% (2013 est.)
- GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
- agriculture: 20.7%
- industry: 38.5%
- services: 40.8% (2013 est.)
- Agriculture - products: sugarcane, rice, edible oils; beef, pork, poultry; shrimp, fish
- Industries: bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
- Industrial production growth rate: 13.5% (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 5
- Labor force: :313,100 (2009 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 164
- Labor force - by occupation:
- agriculture: NA%
- industry: NA%
- services: NA%
- Unemployment rate: 11% (2007)
- country comparison to the world: 117
- Population below poverty line: 35% (2006)
- Household income or consumption by percentage share:
- lowest 10%: 1.3%
- highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)
- Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.6 (2007)
- country comparison to the world: 44
- 43.2 (1999)
- Budget:
- revenues: $756.7 million
- expenditures: $948.5 million (2013 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues: 25.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 126
- Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -6.4% of GDP (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 183
- Public debt: 59.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 49
- 59.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
- Fiscal year:
- calendar year
- Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 131
- 2.4% (2012 est.)
- Central bank discount rate:
- 5.5% (31 December 2011 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 87
- 4.25% (31 December 2010 est.)
- Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.8% (31 December 2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 51
- 13.86% (31 December 2012 est.)
- Stock of narrow money:
- $601.8 million (31 December 2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 155
- $550.4 million (31 December 2012 est.)
- Stock of broad money:
- $1.617 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 158
- $1.49 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
- Stock of domestic credit:
"$1.352 billion (31 December 2013 est.) "country comparison to the world: 146 "$1.223 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
- Market value of publicly traded shares:
- $610.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 102
- $440.4 million (31 December 2011)
- $NA (31 December 2010 est.)
- Current account balance:
- -$510.7 million (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 102
- -$394.8 million (2012 est.)
- Exports:
- $1.337 billion (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 151
- $1.396 billion (2012 est.)
- Exports - commodities: sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
- Exports - partners: US 30.8%, Canada 28.9%, UK 6.2% (2012)
- Imports: $2.039 billion (2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 164
- $1.978 billion (2012 est.)
- Imports - commodities: manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
- Imports - partners: US 22.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 21.9%, China 12.3%, Cuba 6.1%, Suriname 4% (2012)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $854.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 139
- $864 million (31 December 2012 est.)
- Debt - external:
- $1.846 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 144
- $1.846 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Exchange rates:
- Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar -
205.9 (2013 est.) 204.36 (2012 est.) 203.64 (2010 est.) 203.95 (2009) 203.86 (2008)
Government of Guyana
- Country name:
- conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
- conventional short form: Guyana
- former: British Guiana
- Government type:
- republic Capital:
- name: Georgetown
- geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 09 W
- time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- 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 the UK)
- National holiday:
- Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
- Constitution: several previous; latest promulgated 6 October 1980; amended many times, last in 2007 (2013)
- Legal system: common law system, based on the English model, with some Roman-Dutch civil law influence
- International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch:
- chief of state: President Donald RAMOTAR (since 03 December 2011)
- head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)
- cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature
(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window)
- elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary election, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held on 28 November 2011 (next to be held by December 2016); prime minister appointed by the president
- election results: Donald RAMOTAR elected president; percent of vote 48.6%
- Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members to serve five-year terms)
- elections: last held on 28 November 2011 (next to be held by November 2016)
- election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 48.6%, APNU 40%, AFC 10.3%, other 1.1%; seats by party - PPP/C 32, APNU 26, AFC 7
- Judicial branch:
- highest court(s): Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with a chief justice and 3 justices, and the High Court with a chief justice and 10 justices organized into 3- or 5-judge panels) note - in 2009, Guyana ceased final appeals in civil and criminal cases to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London), replacing it with the Caribbean Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the Caribbean Community judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court chief justices appointed by the president; other judges of both courts appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a body appointed by the president; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 65
- subordinate courts: Land Court; magistrates' courts
- Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Change or AFC [[[Khemraj RAMJATTAN]] Justice for All Party [[[C.N. SHARMA]] A Partnership for National Unity or APNU David GRANGER People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C Donald RAMOTAR Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR Ravi DEV The United Force or TUF Manzoor NADIR The Unity Party Joey JAGAN Vision Guyana Peter RAMSAROOP
Political pressure groups and leaders: Amerindian People's Association Guyana Bar Association Guyana Citizens Initiative Guyana Human Rights Association Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU Private Sector Commission Trades Union Congress International organization participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN (since 4 December 2003) chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador D. Brent HARDT (since 19 August 2011) embassy: US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170 telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497 Flag description:
National symbol(s): Canje pheasant (hoatzin); jaguar
National anthem: name: "Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains" A generally patriotic musical composition - usually in the form of a song or hymn of praise - that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions, or struggles of a nation or its people. National anthems can be officially recognized as a national song by a country's constitution or by an enacted law, or simply by tradition. Although most anthems contain lyrics, some do not.
Local government
Local government is administered principally through the Regional Democratic Councils, each led by a chairman; they are elected for terms of up to five years and four months in each of the country’s 10 regions. Local communities are administered by village or city councils.--->>>>Read More.<<<
Culture Life of Gayuna
- Cultural milieu
The national social structure was inherited from the period of British colonial rule, under which the majority of South Asian and Afro-Guyanese labourers were directed by European planters and government officials. A poorly defined local middle class composed of teachers, professionals, and civil servants and including a disproportionate number of Chinese and Portuguese emerged during colonialism. Since independence the elite of the ruling political party has replaced the European plantocracy at the apex of Guyana’s social order. Indigenous peoples remain apart from the country’s social structure as they did under the British, but their culture, which remains uninfluenced by national politics, is recognized as an important element in Guyanese museum displays and as an inspiration in local music and art.
- Daily life and social customs
Daily life in Guyana centres on family groups; notably, the matriarchal family among Afro-Guyanese contrasts with the patriarchal South Asian family. Daily dress normally does not distinguish one group from another. Guyana’s cuisine is a blend of South Asian, South American, and Chinese dishes that make liberal use of fiery locally grown chiles and of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables. A typical dish is pepperpot, a stew made of fish, potatoes, and peppers laced with cassava juice. The Guyanese advise that anyone who braves the dish should keep a supply of iced beer and locally produced rums nearby.
- The arts
Arawak and Carib crafts are sold in markets throughout the country. Their brightly coloured textiles, paintings, and intricate baskets are also popular exports.
Guyanese writers have made noteworthy contributions to literature. The works of Wilson Harris, Edgar Mittelhölzer, Walter Rodney, and A.J. Seymour are among the foremost. The best known of them, E.R. Braithwaite, settled in London in the 1950s, and it was there that he wrote his best-selling novel To Sir, with Love (1959), which told of a Guyanese schoolteacher’s adventures in a tough London East End high school. (The movie version [1967] stars Sidney Poitier.) Like Braithwaite, many other 20th-century Guyanese writers emigrated, especially to the United States and England.
Many of Guyana’s leading musicians also have established large followings in the country’s expatriate communities, particularly in London and New York City. Among these artists are Eddie Hooper, Rita Forrester, Lord Canary, Johnny Braff, and Dave Martins of the Tradewinds, a group that was influential in England’s 2-Tone and ska revivals of the late 1970s. See Sidebar: 2-Tone Records.
- Cultural institutions
Cultural institutions are concentrated in Georgetown. The city’s Guyana Museum includes the Guyana Zoo, which has an impressive collection of animals, including harpy eagles and manatees. The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, also in the capital, contains artifacts of the country’s various indigenous cultures. The Guyanese Heritage Museum in Kastev houses a collection of 18th- and 19th-century Guyanese maps, coins, and books. The Rupununi Weavers Society Museum is situated near the town of Lethem on the Brazilian border; it displays textiles made by the Wapisiana and Macusí groups.
- Sports and recreation
The Guyanese share the passion for cricket that is prevalent throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. Association football (soccer), basketball, boxing, and table tennis also are played, and squash has gained a following. Guyanese athletes’ first Olympic appearance was at the 1948 Games in London, where they represented British Guiana. Guyana participated as a newly independent country in 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics.
The country’s lush landscape and abundant fauna provide many outdoor activities, including fishing and hunting. Bird-watching is particularly popular at Lethem. Hiking and rafting are enjoyed, and swimming in freshwater creeks has some popularity, particularly in the savanna regions. Much recreational activity is based upon the festivities that accompany Hindu, Muslim, and Christian holidays.
- Media and publishing
Freedom of the press has yet to take hold fully in Guyana. The government controlled nearly all local news media, radio, and the single daily newspaper, the Guyana Chronicle, until 2001. Other print media include the PNC’s New Nation, the PPP’s Mirror, and the independent Stabroek News and Kaieteur News. In 1988 Guyana’s first television station was established under government control. By 2001 more than a dozen television stations were operating under government license, and a handful of private stations provided U.S. programming.
History of Gayuna
- Early history
The first human inhabitants of Guyana probably entered the highlands during the 1st millennium bce. Among the earliest settlers were groups of Arawak, Carib, and possibly Warao (Warrau). The early communities practiced shifting agriculture supplemented by hunting. Explorer Christopher Columbus sighted the Guyana coast in 1498, and Spain subsequently claimed, but largely avoided, the area between the Orinoco and Amazon deltas, a region long known as the Wild Coast. It was the Dutch who finally began European settlement, establishing trading posts upriver in about 1580. By the mid-17th century the Dutch had begun importing slaves from West Africa to cultivate sugarcane. In the 18th century the Dutch, joined by other Europeans, moved their estates downriver toward the fertile soils of the estuaries and coastal mud flats. Laurens Storm van ’s Gravesande, governor of Essequibo from 1742 to 1772, coordinated these development efforts.
Guyana changed hands with bewildering frequency during the French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars (mostly between the British and the French) from 1792 to 1815. During a brief French occupation, Longchamps, later called Georgetown, was established at the mouth of the Demerara River; the Dutch renamed it Stabroek and continued to develop it. The British took over in 1796 and remained in possession, except for short intervals, until 1814, when they purchased Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo, which in 1831 were united as the colony of British Guiana.
- British rule
When the slave trade was abolished in 1807, there were about 100,000 slaves in Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo. After full emancipation in 1838, black freedmen left the plantations to establish their own settlements along the coastal plain. The planters then imported labour from several sources, the most productive of whom were the indentured workers from India. Indentured labourers who had earned their freedom settled in coastal villages near the estates, a process that became established in the late 19th century during a serious economic depression caused by competition with European sugar-beet production.
Settlement proceeded slowly, but gold was discovered in 1879, and a boom in the 1890s helped the colony. The North West District, an 8,000-square-mile (21,000-square-km) area bordering on Venezuela that was organized in 1889, was the cause of a dispute in 1895, when the United States supported Venezuela’s claims to that mineral- and timber-rich territory. Venezuela revived its claims on British Guiana in 1962, an issue that went to the United Nations for mediation in the early 1980s but still had not been resolved in the early 21st century.
The British inherited from the Dutch a complicated constitutional structure. Changes in 1891 led to progressively greater power’s being held by locally elected officials, but reforms in 1928 invested all power in the governor and the Colonial Office. In 1953 a new constitution—with universal adult suffrage, a bicameral elected legislature, and a ministerial system—was introduced.
From 1953 to 1966 the political history of the colony was stormy. The first elected government, formed by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and led by Cheddi Jagan, seemed so pro-communist that the British suspended the constitution in October 1953 and dispatched troops. The constitution was not restored until 1957. The PPP split along ethnic lines, Jagan leading a predominately South Asian party and Forbes Burnham leading a party of African descendants, the People’s National Congress (PNC). The elections of 1957 and 1961 returned the PPP with working majorities. From 1961 to 1964 severe rioting, involving bloodshed between rival Afro-Guyanese and South Asian groups, and a long general strike led to the return of British troops.
- Independence
To answer the PNC allegation that the existing electoral system unduly favoured the South Asian community, the British government introduced for the elections of December 1964 a new system of proportional representation. Thereafter the PNC and a smaller, more conservative party formed a coalition government, led by Burnham, which took the colony into independence under its new name, Guyana, on May 26, 1966. The PNC gained full power in the general election of 1968, which was characterized by questionable rolls of overseas voters and widespread claims of electoral impropriety.
On February 23, 1970, Guyana was proclaimed a cooperative republic within the Commonwealth. A president was elected by the National Assembly, but Burnham retained executive power as prime minister. Burnham declared his government to be socialist and in the later 1970s sought to reorder the government in his favour. In 1978 one of the most bizarre incidents in modern history occurred in Guyana when some 900 members of a religious community known as the Peoples Temple committed mass suicide in their Jonestown commune at the behest of their leader, Jim Jones.
In 1980, under a new constitution that provided for a unicameral legislature, Burnham became executive president, with still wider powers, after an election in which international observers detected widespread fraud. Two major assassinations also occurred during this time—Jesuit priest and journalist Bernard Darke was killed in July 1979, and prominent historian and political leader Walter Rodney was murdered in June 1980. Many observers accused Burnham of involvement in the killings. In the following years Burnham faced an economy shattered by the depressed demand for bauxite and sugar and a restive populace suffering from severe commodity shortages and a near breakdown of essential public services. Burnham enforced austerity measures, and he began leaning toward Soviet-bloc countries for support. When he died in 1985, Burnham was succeeded by the prime minister, Hugh Desmond Hoyte, who pledged to continue Burnham’s policies. In elections held that year, Hoyte won the presidency by a wide margin, but once again charges of vote fraud were raised.
In the late 1980s Hoyte gradually shifted away from Burnham’s ideology, denouncing communism and granting more rights to the Guyanese. His administration, confronting worsening financial and economic problems, moved to liberalize the economy. He also bowed to pressure for electoral reform, and elections held in 1992 were considered free and fair by international observers. The PPP triumphed in the elections, and Jagan became president. In contrast to the strong socialist views he had held decades earlier, Jagan now advocated policies more conducive to democratization and economic reform. After Jagan’s death in 1997, his wife, Janet Jagan, was elected president in elections held later that year. The PNC disputed the results of the elections, however, and many demonstrations and protests ensued. Janet Jagan stepped down in 1999, attributing her resignation to ill health. Bharrat Jagdeo of the PPP was appointed president; he was reelected in 2001 and again in
Jagdeo’s administration was beset with numerous difficulties. The PNC staged more protests after the 2001 parliamentary elections, when it seemed to many that the PPP would continue to win control of the government simply because their constituency, mainly South Asians, was the majority population in the country. A violent crime spree, fueled by political unrest, broke out in 2002 following the escape of five convicts from Georgetown Prison. In 2005 severe flooding killed dozens of people and destroyed large amounts of the rice and sugarcane crops.
Prospects brightened in September 2007 when a United Nations international tribunal settled a long-standing maritime boundary dispute between Guyana and Suriname by granting Guyana the far-larger share of the Guyana-Suriname Basin in contention. A new boundary was drawn, and soon afterward offshore oil exploration was begun there. Despite his apprehension, Jagdeo signed a trade agreement with the European Union in 2008; he hoped to increase economic stability and strengthen international relations. Guyana continued to struggle with violent crime, ethnic tensions, and episodic political unrest, but the economy improved, as the government invested in the agriculture and forestry sectors, in offshore oil exploration, and in new roads and bridges.
Jagdeo was constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term, and in November 2011 Donald Ramotar of the PPP was elected president. That year, however, his party and its junior coalition partner, the Civic Party, narrowly lost their majority in the National Assembly to the coalition formed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)—an alliance comprising the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR; a reconstituted PNC, including the former Reform Party) and several smaller parties—and the Alliance for Change (AFC) party. APNU-AFC’s single-vote majority, combined with PPP’s continued control of the presidency, resulted in a period of legislative gridlock. In November 2014 Ramotar, fearing an imminent no-confidence vote in response to some $22.5 million of spending without parliamentary approval, prorogued parliament. Although the constitution allowed the president to suspend parliament for up to six months, the opposition accused him of acting dictatorially.
Energy of Gayuna
- Electricity - production:
700 million kWh (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 155
- Electricity - consumption:
512 million kWh (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 170
- Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
- Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2012 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 154
- Electricity - installed generating capacity:
362,500 kW (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 148
- Electricity - from fossil fuels:
- 96% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 67
- Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
- 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 102
- Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
- 0.3% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 146
- Electricity - from other renewable sources:
- 3.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 54
- Crude oil - production:
- 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 178
- Crude oil - exports:
- 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 123
- Crude oil - imports:
- 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 197
- Crude oil - proved reserves:
- 0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 141
- Refined petroleum products - production:
- 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 153
- Refined petroleum products - consumption:
- 10,910 bbl/day (2011 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 151
- Refined petroleum products - exports:
- 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 184
- Refined petroleum products - imports:
- 10,780 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 129
- Natural gas - production:
- 0 cu m (2011 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 141
- Natural gas - consumption:
- 0 cu m (2010 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 155
- Natural gas - exports:
- 0 cu m (2011 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 114
- Natural gas - imports:
- 0 cu m (2011 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 203
- Natural gas - proved reserves:
- 0 cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
- country comparison to the world: 147
- Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
- 1.673 million Mt (2011 est.)
Communication of Gayuna
- Telephones - main lines in use: 154,200 (2012)
- country comparison to the world: 136
- Telephones - mobile cellular: 547,000 (2012)
- country comparison to the world: 167
- Telephone system:
- general assessment: fair system for long-distance service; microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services
- domestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity about 70 per 100 persons in 2011
- international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)
Broadcast media: government-dominated broadcast media; the National Communications Network (NCN) TV is state-owned; a few private TV stations relay satellite services; the state owns and operates 2 radio stations broadcasting on multiple frequencies capable of reaching the entire country; government limits on licensing of new private radio stations continue to constrain competition in broadcast media (2007)
- Internet country code:.gy
- Internet hosts: 24,936 (2012)
- country comparison to the world: 112
- Internet users: 189,600 (2009)
- country comparison to the world: 142
Transportation of Gayuna
- Airports: 117 (2013)
- country comparison to the world: 50
- Airports - with paved runways:
- total: 11
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
- 914 to 1,523 m: 1
- under 914 m: 8 (2013)
- Airports - with unpaved runways:
- total: 106
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
- 914 to 1,523 m: 16
- under 914 m:
- 89 (2013)
- Roadways:
- total: 7,970 km
- country comparison to the world: 141
- paved: 590 km
- unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)
- Waterways: 330 km (the Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively) (2012)
- country comparison to the world: 92
- Merchant marine:
- total: 10
- country comparison to the world: 114
- by type: cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1
- registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2010)
- Ports and terminals:
- major seaport(s): Georgetown
Military of Gayuna
- Military branches:
- Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Air Corps, Coast Guard) (2012)
- Military service age and obligation:
- 18 years of age or older for voluntary military service; no conscription (2014)
- Manpower available for military service:
- males age 16-49: 189,840 (2010 est.)
- Manpower fit for military service:
- males age 16-49: 133,239
- females age 16-49: 147,719 (2010 est.)
- Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
- male: 8,849
- female: 8,460 (2010 est.)
- Military expenditures:
- 1.09% of GDP (2012)
- country comparison to the world: 94
- 1.17% of GDP (2011)
- 1.09% of GDP (2010)
Transnational Issues of Gayuna
- Disputes - international:
- all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UNCLOS to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
- Trafficking in persons:
- current situation: Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; Guyanese and foreign women and girls are forced into prostitution in Guyana; experts are concerned that Guyanese children are subjected to exploitive labor practices in the mining, agriculture, and forestry sectors; Indonesian workers are victims of forced labor on Guyanese-flagged fishing boats
- tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; despite some progress in identifying and assisting some trafficking victims, the government has failed to increase its efforts to hold trafficking offenders accountable with jail time, creating an enabling environment for human trafficking; public comments from the government downplaying the scope of Guyana's trafficking problem diminishes the potential impact of its awareness campaigns; authorities operate a hotline for trafficking victims and conduct several awareness and sensitization sessions that target vulnerable communities (2013)
- Illicit drugs:
- transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling
Environment of Guyana
Carbon dioxide emissions
Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
Energy efficiency
Habitat protection
Marine habitat protection
Resource usage
Terrestrial habitat protection
Health of Guyana
AIDS morbidity
AIDS mortality
Child malnutrition
Condom use
Contraceptive use among currently married women 15-49 years old
HIV prevention
Infant health
Malaria morbidity
Malaria mortality
Malnutrition
Maternal health
Proportion of the population using improved drinking water sources
Proportion of the population using improved sanitation facilities
Tuberculosis morbidity
Tuberculosis mortality
Tuberculosis prevention
Tuberculosis treatment
Disclaimer
This is not the official site of this country. Most of the information in this site were taken from the U.S. Department of State, The Central Intelligence Agency, The United Nations, [1],[2], [3], [4], [5],[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14],[15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24],[25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30],[31], [32], [33], [34], and the [35].
Other sources of information will be mentioned as they are posted.