Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This 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.

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela

slightly smaller than Idaho

tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation

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

18.31 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

7.34 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

-17.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

2.4 children born/woman (2010 est.)

fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.)

East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)

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)

English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu

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

26 May 1966 (from the UK)

Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

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)

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)

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]

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

ACP, AOSIS, 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, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

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. Economic recovery since a 2005 flood-related contraction was buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment in the sugar and rice industries as well as the mining sector. 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. Growth turned negative in 2009 as a result of the world recession. The slowdown in the domestic economy and lower import costs helped to narrow the country's current account deficit in 2009, despite lower earnings from exports, but growth is expected to rebound in 2010 as exports benefit from higher commodity prices.

$4.877 billion (2009 est.)

$4.767 billion (2008 est.)

$4.628 billion (2007 est.)

$2.024 billion (2009 est.)

30.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

6.75% (31 December 2008)

6.5% (31 December 2007)

14.58% (31 December 2008)

14.61% (31 December 2007)

$344.2 million (31 December 2008)

$315.2 million (31 December 2007)

$817.6 million (31 December 2008)

$728.8 million (31 December 2007)

$829.4 million (31 December 2008)

$739.3 million (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2009)

$289.9 million (31 December 2008)

$262.4 million (31 December 2007)

sugarcane, rice, edible oils; shrimp, fish, beef, pork, poultry

bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

821 million kWh (2007 est.)

667 million kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

10,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

10,550 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$153 million (2009 est.)

-$191.6 million (2008 est.)

$695 million (2009 est.)

$789 million (2008 est.)

sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber

Canada 27.52%, US 16.93%, UK 10.84%, Ukraine 5.54%, Netherlands 5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.33%, Jamaica 4.12% (2009)

$1.012 billion (2009 est.)

$1.183 billion (2008 est.)

manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

US 25.23%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.23%, Cuba 6.41%, China 6.05% (2009)

$569 million (31 December 2009 est.)

$355.9 million (31 December 2008 est.)

$804.3 million (30 September 2008)

Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 204.57 (2009), 203.86 (2008), 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005)

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)

Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2009)

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

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

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