Part 87
2.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
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)
Religions:
Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%, Jehovah Witness 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, Muslim 7.2%, other 4.3%, none 4.3% (2002 census)
Languages:
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.1%
female: 98.5% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
8.3% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 13
Government ::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 10 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:
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: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and was reelected in 2001, and again in 2006
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
elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%
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; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; 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]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]
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, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN
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 John Melvin JONES
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:
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 ::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. Economic recovery since the 2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment in the sugar and rice industries as well as the mining sector. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have remained flat as rising commodity prices have offset declining production, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy costs. 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. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.973 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174 $2.887 billion (2007 est.)
$2.739 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.154 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 5.4% (2007 est.)
5.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 156 $3,800 (2007 est.)
$3,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 24.9%
industry: 24.9%
services: 50.2% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
333,900 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
11% (2007) country comparison to the world: 131
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.2 (1999) country comparison to the world: 50
Investment (gross fixed):
35.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 8
Budget:
revenues: $488.7 million
expenditures: $552.6 million (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 12.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
6.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 66 6.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.58% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 48 14.61% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$344.2 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 100 $315.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$817.6 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 $728.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$829.4 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 110 $739.3 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 105 $262.4 million (31 December 2007)
$187.4 million (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, edible oils; beef, pork, poultry
Industries:
bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Electricity - production:
821 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Electricity - consumption:
667 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 190
Oil - consumption:
11,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 197
Oil - imports:
10,550 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 138
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 70
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Current account balance:
-$362 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100 -$165.7 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$797 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 155 $674.9 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners:
Canada 20.8%, US 15.2%, UK 12.3%, Netherlands 7.2%, Portugal 4.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7%, Jamaica 4.5%, Ukraine 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$1.294 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 167 $982.9 million (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners:
US 23.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.3%, Finland 7.7%, Cuba 6.1%, China 5.7% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$355.9 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140 $313 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$804.3 million (30 September 2008) country comparison to the world: 157 $1.2 billion (2002)
Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 203.86 (2008 est.), 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004)
Communications ::Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use:
125,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 140
Telephones - mobile cellular:
281,400 (2005) country comparison to the world: 168
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Internet country code:
.gy
Internet hosts:
7,116 (2009) country comparison to the world: 129
Internet users:
205,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 134
Transportation ::Guyana
Airports:
99 (2009) country comparison to the world: 60
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 89
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 74 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 7,970 km country comparison to the world: 142 paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)
Waterways:
330 km country comparison to the world: 91 note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 country comparison to the world: 124 by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Georgetown
Military ::Guyana
Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 220,797 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 150,307
females age 16-49: 144,622 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 6,625
female: 6,365 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 90
Transnational Issues ::Guyana
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 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 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (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, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most trafficking appears to take place in remote mining camps in the country's interior; some women and girls are trafficked from northern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests Guyanese women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to neighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor exploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victims from Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to Caribbean destinations
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the government has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under the comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which became law in 2005; the government operates no shelters for trafficking victims, but did include limited funding for anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did not make any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007 (2008)
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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Haiti (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Haiti
Background:
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006.
Geography ::Haiti
Location:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 72 25 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 27,750 sq km country comparison to the world: 147 land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km
Coastline:
1,771 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)
Irrigated land:
920 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
14 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)
per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
People ::Haiti
Population:
9,035,536 country comparison to the world: 88 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 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,735,917/female 1,704,383)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 2,621,059/female 2,665,447)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 120,040/female 188,690) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.2 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 20.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.838% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Birth rate:
29.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Death rate:
8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Net migration rate:
-2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 138
Urbanization:
urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 59.69 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 37 male: 66.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.78 years country comparison to the world: 181 male: 59.13 years
female: 62.48 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.81 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 28
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
120,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups:
black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%
note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo
Languages:
French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.9%
male: 54.8%
female: 51.2% (2003 est.)
Education expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (1991) country comparison to the world: 175
Government ::Haiti
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti
local short form: Haiti/Ayiti
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Port-au-Prince
geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Constitution:
approved March 1987