Guyana in 2005

Guyana in 2005

Area: 215,083 sq km (83,044 sq mi)
Population (2005 est.):' 751,000
Capital: Georgetown
Chief of state: President Bharrat Jagdeo
Head of government: Prime Minister Sam Hinds

Severe flooding following torrential rainfall wreaked havoc in Guyana beginning in January 2005. The downpour, which lasted about six weeks, inundated the coastal belt, caused the deaths of 34 people, and destroyed large parts of the rice and sugarcane crops. The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean estimated in March that the country would need $415 million for recovery and rehabilitation. About 275,000 people—37% of the population—were affected in some way by the floods.

At the end of 2004, Guyana’s external debt stood at $1.1 billion, but in June 2005 the Group of Eight wrote off $336.6 million of the country’s debt. A month later Guyana and OPEC reached an agreement in which OPEC would provide $5.4 million in debt relief. Guyana’s hopes of finally becoming an oil producer were again dashed in September when Canada’s CGX Energy discontinued its onshore exploration program in the Berbice Block after having drilled three unsuccessful wells.

In June the government launched a $3.3 million, five-year plan to combat drug trafficking; the scheme included the hiring of 600 new police officers and greater deployment of security forces along the border with Venezuela.