Guyana Image Gallery

Photos
In the late 1980s about 134,700 pupils were enrolled in 425 elementary Image Gallery in Guyana. Some 100 secondary, technical, and teacher-training institutions had a total of approximately 73,400 students. The country's principal institution of higher images, the University of Guyana (1963), in Georgetown, was attended by about 2300 students.

Guyana, in full Co-operative Republic of Guyana, republic on the northern coast of South America, formerly British Guiana, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Suriname, on the south by Brazil, and on the west by Brazil and Venezuela. The country achieved independence on May 26, 1966. Guyana has an area of 214,969 sq km (83,000 sq mi); its coastline is about 435 km (about 270 mi) long.

Land and Resources
Guyana can be divided into three major geographical regions. A belt of alluvial soil, varying in width from about 8 to 65 km (about 5 to 40 mi) and mostly below sea level, extends along the coast and is protected by a system of dams and dikes. To the south lies the dense forest area that makes up about four-fifths of the country. The forests extend into an interior highland region with a maximum elevation, atop Mount Roraima, of 2772 m (9094 ft). Some of the rivers form spectacular waterfalls, notably Kaieteur Fall (226 m/741 ft high), on the Potaro River, one of the highest single-drop waterfalls in the world. Beyond the forest lies a region of savanna. Several important rivers—the Essequibo, Demerara, Courantyne, and Berbice—cross the country in a southern to northern direction. The rivers are navigable by oceangoing freighters only to about 100 to 160 km (about 60 to 100 mi) from the sea; farther inland, navigation is not possible because of rapids and falls.

Climate
Guyana has a tropical climate, with little seasonal temperature change. The annual rainfall (about 1525 to 2030 mm/about 60 to 80 in) on the coast occurs mainly from April to August and November to January. The savanna region receives some 1525 mm (some 60 in) of rain annually, mainly from April to September.

Natural Resources
The important mineral deposits of Guyana include bauxite, manganese, gold, diamonds, and kaolin. Some petroleum is located offshore.
The plants and trees of Guyana are noted for their great size; the giant water lily is common. The dense forests contain excellent woods, such as greenheart and mora, for use in the lumber industry. The animal life is varied and includes deer, anteater, and two species of monkey. Among the birds are manakins, sugarbirds, and cotingas; the diversity of brilliantly colored birds and insects is considerable.

Population
Slightly more than 50 percent of the total population of Guyana is made up of East Indians, whose ancestors came here from the Indian subcontinent. About 31 percent of the people are of black African descent, and some 10 percent are of mixed background. Approximately 5 percent are Native Americans. In addition, small numbers of Europeans and Chinese live in Guyana. About 90 percent of the largely rural population lives along the coast. About 42 percent of the people are Christians, most being Anglicans or Roman Catholics. The remainder are mainly Hindus (34 percent) or Muslims (9 percent). The official is English; Hindi, Urdu, and Native American languages also are used.

Population Characteristics
The population of Guyana (1991 estimate) was 758,619, giving the country an overall population density of about 3.5 people per sq km (about 9 per sq mi). Georgetown, the capital and principal port, had a population (1985 estimate) of 200,000. Smaller population centers include the port of New Amsterdam (25,000) and the mining community of Linden (formerly called Mackenzie-Wismar-Christianburg; 35,000).

Culture
Until its independence, Guyana was tied culturally more closely to Suriname and French Guiana than to the rest of South America. Guyana was settled by East Indians, who still speak Urdu, Hindi, and Tamil dialects; black Africans; and a few Europeans, mostly from Great Britain. These various ethnic strains have remained fairly distinct, and today each group has its own style of life and culture, although the ties of nationhood tend to bind them together.

Economy
Immediately before independence in 1966, Guyana was in the early stages of developing its resources. The development continued under an economic plan drawn up by British, United States, and Canadian experts. Manufacturing, which was on a small scale in the late 1960s, was expanded in the 1970s, but in the late 1980s the economy of Guyana was dominated by agriculture and service industries. The annual national budget in the late 1980s included revenue of about $164 million and expenditure of about $284 million.

Agriculture
Agriculture accounts for about one-fourth of the gross domestic product and employs about one-third of the labor force. Sugar and its by-products and rice account for most of the agricultural exports; 3 million metric tons of sugarcane and 225,000 metric tons of rice were produced annually in the late 1980s. Coconuts, coffee, cacao, citrus fruit, corn, manioc, and other tropical fruit and vegetables are grown primarily for home consumption. Large areas of rough pasture exist in the interior savannas. Substantial numbers of cattle, hogs, sheep, and chickens are raised.
Cultivation is confined almost entirely to the narrow coastal strip of rich, alluvial soil. Agricultural expansion requires heavy expenditures for protection against flooding and for drainage and irrigation, because part of the strip is below the high-tide mark of the sea and rivers and because of the heavy seasonal rainfall. The government of Guyana is making efforts to increase the amount of land available for cultivation through reclamation projects.

Forestry and Fishing
In the late 1980s about 125,000 cu m (about 4.4 million cu ft) of wood were harvested annually from Guyana's extensive forests. Almost all of the harvest was made up of hardwoods, used mainly in construction and furniture making and as fuel. Fishing is concentrated along the Atlantic coast. The annual catch in the late 1980s was about 41,600 metric tons. Shrimp are a valuable product.

Mining
Guyana is a major producer of bauxite; about 1.3 million metric tons were mined annually in the late 1980s. Manganese, gold, and diamonds are also produced.

Manufacturing and Energy
Manufacturing in Guyana is limited to processing bauxite and to production of foodstuffs, beverages, construction materials, clothing, soap, and cigarettes.
In the late 1980s Guyana had an installed electricity-generating capacity of about 168,000 kilowatts, and annual production was some 385 million kilowatt-hours, nearly all generated in thermal facilities. The country has a great potential for producing hydroelectricity.

Currency and Foreign Trade
The Guyana dollar consists of 100 cents (29.96 Guyana dollars equal U.S.$1; 1990). The Bank of Guyana, established in 1965, is the central bank.
The chief exports of Guyana are sugar, bauxite, alumina, rum, rice, and timber. The principal imports are petroleum products, machinery, foodstuffs, tobacco, cotton fabrics, and footwear. In the late 1980s, annual imports cost about $254 million, and exports earned some $240 million.

Transportation
Guyana has about 8890 km (about 5520 mi) of roads, most of which are near the coast. The country is served by about 110 km (about 70 mi) of railroad track. Guyana's main seaports are Georgetown and New Amsterdam. The rivers provide an important means of access to the interior. The national airline is Guyana Airways, which provides domestic and international service. The main airport, Timehri International, is near Georgetown.

Communications
Guyana had some 30,300 telephones in the late 1980s; radio-telephone links are frequently the only efficient means of communication with the interior. The government operates broadcasting services. In the mid-1980s approximately 307,500 radios and 40,000 television sets were in use.

Labor
In the mid-1980s Guyana's wage-labor force was made up of about 268,000 people. More than 90,000 workers were members of labor unions.

Government
Guyana is governed under a constitution adopted in 1980.

Central Government
The head of state and chief executive of Guyana is a president, elected to a five-year term of office by the National Assembly. The president appoints a cabinet, headed by a prime minister.

Legislature
Legislative power in Guyana is vested in the unicameral National Assembly, which is made up of 12 nonelected members and 53 members elected to five-year terms under a system of proportional representation.

Judiciary
The law of Guyana is based mostly on English common and statute law. The highest tribunal of the country is the Supreme Court of Judicature, which is divided into a court of appeal and a high court.

Local Government
Guyana is divided into ten regions. Each region is governed by a council.

Political Parties
The People's National Congress (founded 1957) held power from independence until 1992, when the People's Progressive party (1950) won a parliamentary majority.

Health and Welfare
The Guyana government provides social assistance, including old-age pensions and relief for the aged, the infirm, and destitute children; delinquency services; and community services. Public-health measures have eliminated malaria as a major problem.

Defense
The armed forces of Guyana are organized in one group, called the Guyana Defense Forces, which in the late 1980s had about 5450 members.

History
The territory that is now Guyana was first charted by Spanish explorers in 1499. By the mid-18th century Dutch settlers and traders had prevailed over rival Spanish and British expeditions. Although formal possession fell to the British in 1814, the Dutch system of administration persisted during most of the precolonial period (the colony of British Guiana came into being in 1831). During the years of British rule, the Native American population was reduced to a tiny minority by large influxes of African and East Indian peoples. Guyana received its first constitution under the British administration in 1928, but universal suffrage was not granted until 1953.
In 1961 Guyana achieved full internal self-government, and the People's Progressive party (PPP), under the leadership of Cheddi Jagan, gained a majority in the legislative assembly. In 1962 Jagan introduced a program of severe economic austerity that caused violent riots and a general strike. British troops were called in to restore order in February 1962 and again in 1963. In 1963 the disorders took on racial overtones; persons of African descent clashed with the East Indian supporters of Jagan. When calm was restored, the nation was left on the brink of economic chaos.
Following constitutional conferences between Guyana and Great Britain in 1962 and 1963, elections were held in late 1964. The PPP again received the most votes, but failed to gain a majority. The British government thereupon called on Forbes Burnham, leader of the minority People's National Congress (PNC), to form a coalition government.
In 1965 the British Guiana Independence Conference met in London, and a new constitution was approved. On May 26, 1966, Guyana was declared an independent nation. It joined the United Nations in 1966. Guyana became a charter member of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) in 1968. Elections that year confirmed Burnham in office. On February 23, 1970, Guyana was proclaimed a republic, and Arthur Chung was named president. The PNC won again in 1973.
In the early 1970s Guyana established diplomatic relations with China and several other Communist nations. In the economic sphere, an investment plan was adopted in 1973, calling for expenditure of $1.15 billion by 1976. The country aimed at self-sufficiency in agriculture, the development of oil resources, and a greater voice in the development of its bauxite deposits and profits from them. The government assumed control of all foreign trade in 1974.
Guyana was the scene of the Jonestown mass suicide and murder in 1978, when more than 900 members of a religious cult, primarily U.S. citizens, took poison on orders of their deranged leader, James Warren (“Jim”) Jones.
In 1978 the term of the National Assembly was extended for a year beyond its five-year limit in anticipation of a new constitution; it was extended again in 1979. After the new socialist constitution was put into effect in 1980, Prime Minister Burnham was elected president and given most state powers. The PNC retained its overwhelming majority in the assembly, but an international team of observers questioned the validity of Burnham's victory. He governed until his death in 1985, and was succeeded by Desmond Hoyte. Elections that same year confirmed PNC control of the assembly and Hoyte as president. Hoyte remained in office until October 1992, when, in an internationally supervised election, Jagan and his People's Progressive party returned to power.