Ethnic Composition
| East Indian |
50% |
| Black |
36% |
| Mixed |
12% |
| Amerindian |
7% |
| Other |
1% |
Religious Composition
| Christian |
50% |
| Hindu |
35% |
| Muslim |
10% |
| Other |
5% |
|
|
|
|
Languages SpokenEnglish, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu |
Education and Literacy98.1 percent of the population over the age of 15 can read. By
gender, 98.6 percent of the male population, and 97.5 percent
of the female population are literate. |
Labor ForceTotal:
418,000 (2001)
By occupation:
| Agriculture, hunting, and forestry |
30.2% |
| Commerce |
16.0% |
| Manufacturing |
11.0% |
|
Geography |
Land Mass Total83,000 sq mi (214,970 sq km) |
Land76,004 sq mi (196,850 sq km) |
Water6,996 sq mi (18,120 sq km) |
Land BoundariesTotal:
1,529 mi (2,462 km)
Border countries:
Brazil 695 mi (1,119 km), Suriname 372
mi (600 km), Venezuela 461 mi (743 km) |
Coastline459 km |
Maritime claimContinental shelf:
200 nm or to the outer edge of the
continental margin
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm |
Climate/WeatherTropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two
rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January).
|
TerrainMostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south.
|
Elevation extremesLowest:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Highest:
Mount Roraima 2,835 m |
Natural ResourcesBauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish. |
Land use
| Arable land |
2% |
| Permanent crops |
0% |
| Permanent pastures |
6% |
| Forests and woodland |
84% |
| Other |
8% |
(1993) |
Natural hazardsFlash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons. |
Environment - current issuesWater pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial
chemicals; deforestation. |
Demographics |
Population697,286
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates,
and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2000). |
Age structure
| 0-14 years: |
29% |
male 102,463 |
female 98,492 |
| 15-64 years: |
66% |
male 232,857 |
female 229,598 |
| 65 years and over: |
5% |
male 15,170 |
female 18,706 |
|
Growth Rate-0.1% (2000) |
Life Expectancy64.04 years
Male:
61.08 years
Female:
67.15 years |
GDP Per CapitaUS$2,500 (1999) |
Infant Mortality39.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2000) |
Sex ratio
| At birth: |
1.05 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 years: |
1.04 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years: |
1.01 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over: |
0.81 male(s)/female |
| Total population: |
1.01 male(s)/female |
|
Net migration rate-10.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000) |
Economy & Trade |
The improvement of the
Guyanese economy will take a major effort, although any advance
in one of the world's poorest nations would produce
statistically remarkable results. Guyana lacks virtually any
form of industrialization and it makes the overwhelming bulk of
its revenue from the export of gold, bauxite, and unrefined
sugar. But this is not to say that Guyana's government is not
trying or that the economy has not registered some successes.
The economy showed respectable growth (4-5 percent) from
1991-1997, albeit from a rather low starting point. Inflation
remains under control (relative to the rest of South America)
and IMF involvement remains positive. Private foreign
investment has been lean, however, due mostly to Guyana's
creaking infrastructure. Consequently, what little
privatization exists has had few takers and external debt grows
daily as the government tries to prop up the gains it has made.
At the turn of the millennium, Guyana had negative GDP growth
(-1.3 percent) but was back on a positive track in 2001 at 1.4
percent, and at 1.8 percent for 2002. Positive growth
is predicted through 2004 at above 3 percent.. |
Unemployment12% (1992) |
Inflation Rate5.5% (1999) |
IndustriesBauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp),
textiles, gold mining. |
ExportsUS$574 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
ImportsUS$620 million (c.i.f., 1999) |
Total TradeUS$1.19 billion (1999) |
Top Export PartnersCanada 25.9%, U.S. 20.4%, U.K. 22.7%, Netherlands Antilles
8.4%, Germany 4.3%. |
Top Import PartnersU.S. 27.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 17.7%, Netherlands Antilles
12.1%, U.K. 10.7%, Japan 4.2%. |
Top ExportsSugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses. |
Top ImportsManufactures, machinery, petroleum, food. |
Debt - externalUS$1.4 billion (1998) |
Economic aidUS$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative
(HIPC) $253 million (1997) |
Fiscal Year:Calendar year |
Business Workweek
|
| |
Monday - Friday |
Saturday -
Sunday |
| Offices |
8a.m. to 4:30p.m., Fridays 8a.m. to 3:30p.m. |
Closed |
| Retail |
Monday to Thursday 8:30a.m. to 4p.m., and until
5p.m. on Fridays.
Market Hours: 8a.m. to 4p.m.; Wednesdays 9a.m. to
noon |
Saturdays 8:30 to noon
Market Hours: Sunday 8a.m. to 10a.m. |
| Banks |
8a.m. to 12:30p.m.and 3:30p.m. to 5p.m. |
Closed |
| Government |
Monday to Thursday, 8a.m. to 12:30p.m.
Friday 8a.m. to noon then 3p.m. to 5p.m. |
Closed |
|
Holidays |
Official Holidays
| Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| New Year's Day |
January 1 |
January 1 |
January 1 |
| Republic Day (Mashramani) |
February 23 |
February 23 |
February 23 |
| Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹ |
February 12 |
February 2 |
January 21 |
| Islamic New Year² |
March 5 |
February 22 |
February 10 |
| Easter³ |
April 20 |
April 11 |
March 27 |
| Holi, Festival of Colors, and
Phagwah*¹ |
March 18 |
March 18 |
March 18 |
| Labor Day |
May 1 |
May 1 |
May 1 |
| Indian Heritage Day |
May 5 |
May 5 |
May 5 |
| Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an
Nabi)*² |
May 14 |
May 2 |
April 21 |
| Independence Day |
May 26 |
May 26 |
May 26 |
| Caricom Day*³ |
July 7 |
July 5 |
July 4 |
| Freedom Day**¹ |
August 4 |
August 2 |
August 5 |
| Diwali, Festival of Light**² |
October 25 |
November |
November |
| Start of Ramadan)**³ |
October 27 |
October 15 |
October 4 |
| End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)* |
November 26 |
November 14 |
November 3 |
| Christmas Day** |
December 25 |
December 25 |
December 25 |
| Boxing Day |
December 26 |
December 26 |
December 26 |
| ¹ |
Culmination of the Haj or Holy
Pilgrimage. |
| ² |
The lunar Islamic Hijara calendar is made
up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30
days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per
year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of
the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the
seasons. |
| ³ |
Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday
after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the
Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with
Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter
is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern
Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar,
and celebrate 13 days later. |
| *¹ |
Holi, Festival of Colors Hindu spring festival
dedicated to the god of pleasure. Based on the
Indian Lunar Calendar, the fesitval is celebrated with
lots of color, and happy spirits. Phagwah, a joyous
Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over
evil, is also celebrated at this time, and crowds
squirt each other with watercolors representing, love,
peace, and brotherhood. |
| *² |
The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is
celebrated on the twelfth day in the month of Rabi'l of
the Islamic calendar. |
| *³ |
Regional holiday. Caricom Day is
marked by official gatherings and political messages from
within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
First Monday in July. |
| **¹ |
First Monday in August. |
| **² |
Brought to Guyana by indentured servants
from India, in 1853, Diwali is the celebration of light
versus dark. It is the celebration of the rescue of
Lakshmi, Goddess of Light, from the dark demon, King
Bali; and it is the celebration of the return of Lord
Rama from exile. Diwali, (Divali, or Deepavali), is
celebrated on the darkest night of the month of Kartic in
the Hindu calendar with lights, lamps. and fireworks,
falling somewhere in October or November. |
| **³ |
Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins
with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth
month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30
days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from
country to country, depending on the first appearance of
the moon. |
| * |
Feasting that officially marks the end of
Ramadan, and commonly lasts for 3 days. |
| ** |
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at
December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox
church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and
celebrates 13 days later on January 7. |
|
