General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
196,850 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
2,462 km |
|
Coastline: |
459 km |
|
Capital: |
Georgetown |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Bartica, Linden,
New Amsterdam |
|
Official
Language: |
English |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Guyanese Dollar
(GYD) |
|
National Day: |
February 23 |
Location and
Geography
Guyana is situated
on the North-eastern
coast of South
America. It is
bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean in
the North, Suriname
in the East, Brazil
in the South and
South-west and
Venezuela in the
North-west. About 35
percent of the
country lies in the
Amazon Basin. The
name Guyana is
derived from an
American aboriginal
word meaning ‘land
of many waters’. The
word aptly describes
the country with its
extensive network of
rivers, waterfalls
and creeks. The
terrain is covered
mostly with rolling
highlands. Low
coastal plains and
savanna lie to the
South. Forests and
woodlands cover 83
percent of the area.
The mountains
include the
Pakaraima Range
which lies along the
Western boundary
between the Waini
and Rupununi Rivers
near the Brazilian
Border. Since it is
situated in the
tropics, Guyana has
an equatorial
climate.
Demography
|
Population:
|
0.76 million
(2001) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
24 per thousand
people (1998) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
8 per thousand
people (1998) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
54 per thousand
(2001) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 59 years,
Female: 68 years
(1999) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
37.6 percent
(1999) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
98.60 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Guyana’s economy is
mainly dominated by
agriculture and
mining. Major
agricultural
products are sugar,
rice, wheat,
vegetable oils,
dairy products,
products of forestry
and fish. The
country is well
endowed with natural
resources, including
a range of minerals,
vast stretches of
tropical hardwood
forests, numerous
rivers and
waterfalls with
considerable
hydroelectric
potential. Bauxite,
gold, sugar and rice
are the principal
sources of foreign
exchange earnings.
Manufacturing is
devoted to bauxite
processing and to
production of
foodstuffs,
beverages and
construction
materials.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
618 million US$
(2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
789 US$ (2001) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
31.0%
Agriculture,
28.0% Industry,
41.0% Services,
(2001) |
|
Total Exports:
|
548 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
562 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Sugar, rice,
bauxite, timber,
beverages and
furniture |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Manufactured
goods,
machinery,
petroleum and
foodstuffs |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
US, Canada,
Trinidad and
Tobago,
Netherlands and
UK |
|
