Guyana

Guyana A country on the north-east coast of South America, extending for 800 km (500 miles) from north to south and for 460 km (285 miles) from east to west.

Physical

Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Surinam to the east, Brazil to the south and south-west, and Venezuela to the west. Much of the country is covered with dense rainforest.

Economy

The economy is based on agriculture and mining. Major exports are bauxite and alumina, sugar (the province of Demerara gave its name to a type of sugar that originated there), and rice. There are rich mineral deposits and huge timber reserves, but these are largely unexploited, and lack of foreign exchange has led to food shortages. There is potential for hydroelectricity which would reduce its dependence on imported oil.

History

The country was first settled by the Dutch in the 17th century. British rule was formally secured in 1831 when three colonies, Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice (named from the three rivers) were consolidated to form the crown colony of British Guiana. Boundary problems with neighbours dominated the 19th century. During World War II the lease of military and naval bases to the USA proved useful to the Allied war effort. Britain granted independence to the colony in 1966 and Guyana became a nominally cooperative republic in 1970. Its Prime Minister, Forbes Burnham, became executive President (1980–86) with supreme authority under an authoritarian constitution. He was succeeded by Desmond Hoyte, who embarked on a policy of restoring good relations with the USA by a ‘rolling back of cooperative socialism’. Hoyte survived an IMF-imposed austerity programme, but in December 1991 proclaimed a state of emergency, postponing a general election. To boost the economy, his government leased over 5 million acres of rainforest to foreign companies for exploitation. In the general election of October 1992 a victory by the People's Progressive Party, under Cheddi Jagan, ended 28 years of rule by the People's National Congress. The new government pledged to follow the free market policies of the previous administration, while the country continued to experience protracted economic crisis. Jagan died in 1997 and was succeeded as President by the former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds. Jagan's widow, Janet, became Prime Minister.

Capital:	Georgetown
Area:	215,083 sq km (88,044 sq miles)
Population:	782,000 (1998 est)
Currency:	1 Guyana dollar = 100 cents
Religions:	Protestant 30.5%; Hindu 37.1%; Roman Catholic 11.4%; Muslim 8.7%; non-religious 3.7%
Ethnic Groups:	East Indian 51.4%; Black (African Negro and Bush Negro) 30.5%; Mixed 11.0%; Amerindian 5.3%; Chinese 0.2%
Languages:	English (official); English creole; also Caribbean, Hindi, and Amerindian languages
International Organizations:	UN; Commonwealth; CARICOM; Non-Aligned Movement; OAS