The World Factbook (1982)/Guyana

by the Central Intelligence Agency

GUYANA

(See reference map IV)

LAND

214,970 km²; 1% cropland, 3% pasture, 8% savanna, 66% forested, 22% water, urban, and waste

Land boundaries: 2,575 km

WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm (fishing 200 nm; economic zone 200 nm)

Coastline: 459 km

PEOPLE

Population: 870,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.5%

Nationality: noun—Guyanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Guyanese

Ethnic divisions: 51% East Indians, 43% Negro and Negro mixed, 4% Amerindian, 2% white and Chinese

Religion: 57% Christian, 33% Hindu, 9% Muslim, 1% other

Language: English

Literacy: 86%

Labor force: 242,000 (1975); 29% agriculture, 31% manufacturing/mining, 40% services; 21% unemployed

Organized labor: 34% of labor force

GOVERNMENT

Official name: Cooperative Republic of Guyana

Type: republic within Commonwealth

Capital: Georgetown

Political subdivisions: 10 government districts

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

National holiday: 23 February

Branches: Council of Ministers presided over by Prime Minister; 65-member unicameral legislative National Assembly (elected), including 12 seats elected by local councils; Supreme Court Government leader: Executive President L. F. S. BURNHAM

Suffrage: universal over age 18 as of constitutional amendment August 1973

Elections: last held in December 1980, following promulgation of new constitution (on 6 October) replacing British-drafted constitution

Political parties and leaders: People's National Congress (PNC), L. F. S. Burnham; People's Progressive Party (PPP), Cheddi Jagan; Working People's Alliance (WPA), Rupert Roopnarine, Olive Thomas, Walter Omawale, Eusi Kwayana; United Force (UF), Feilden Singh

Voting strength (1980 election, unofficial returns): 77.60% PNC, 19.46% PPP, 2.88% UF

Communists: est. 100 hardcore within PPP; top echelons of PPP and PYO (Progressive Youth Organization, militant wing of the PPP) include many Communists, but rank and file is conservative and non-Communist; small but unknown number of orthodox Marxist-Leninists within PNC, some of whom are PPP turncoats

Other political or pressure groups: Trades Union Congress (TUC); Working People's Vanguard Party (WPVP); Guyana Council of Indian Organizations (GCIO); Civil Liberties Action Committee (CLAC); the latter two organizations are small and active but not well organized

Member of: CARICOM, CDB, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

ECONOMY

GNP: $555 million (1980), $700 per capita; real growth 1981, -6% proj.

Agriculture: main crops—sugarcane, rice, other food crops; food shortages—wheat flour, cooking oil, processed meat, dairy products

Major industries: bauxite mining, alumina production, sugar and rice milling, timber

Electric power: 200,000 kW capacity (1981); 520 million kWh produced (1981), 530 kWh per capita

Exports: $389 million (f.o.b., 1980); bauxite, sugar, rice, alumina, shrimp, molasses, timber, rum

Imports: $425 million (c.i.f., 1980); manufactures, machinery, food, petroleum

Major trade partners: exports—28% UK, 21% US, 14% CARICOM, 6% Canada; imports—22% US, 23% UK, 35% CARICOM, 4% Canada (1980)

Budget: revenue $183 million, expenditure $373 million (1980)

Monetary conversion rate: managed according to basket of currencies; G$3=US$1 (June 1981)

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 110 km total, all single track; 80 km 0.914-meter gauge, 30 km 1.067-meter gage

Highways: 7,665 km total; 550 km paved, 5,000 km gravel, 1,525 km earth, and 590 km unimproved

Inland waterways: 5,900 km; Demerara River navigable to Mackenzie by ocean steamers, others by ferryboats, small craft only

Ports: 1 major (Georgetown), 3 minor Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft, including 2 leased in

Airfields: 88 total, 88 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: highly developed telecom system with radio-relay network and over 27,000 telephones (3.3 per 100 popl.); tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad; 6 AM, 2 FM and no TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station

DEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 215,000; 172,000 fit for military service

Military budget: for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $22.7 million; 9.0% of central government budget