Guyana. Cooperative Republic of Guyana
A country on the northeastern coast of South America. Area - 215,000 km². Capital - Georgetown (about 250,000 with suburbs). Administrative-territorial division - 10 regions. Population - 765,000 (estimate); Guyanese, including about 54% of South Asian descent, 36% of African descent. Official language - English. Religion: among believers - Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims. Currency - Guyanese dollar = 100 cents.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on December 17, 1970).
National holiday - February 23 - Republic Day (1970).
Guyana is a republic, a member of the Commonwealth led by Great Britain, but has its own head of state. According to the 1980 constitution, the head of state and government is the president (since 1999 - B. Jagdeo), elected by universal direct voting for a term of 5 years. Legislative power belongs to a unicameral parliament - the National Assembly, consisting of 65 members (40 are elected by universal direct voting for 5 years, 25 are delegated by regions and local authorities). Executive power is exercised by the cabinet of ministers, headed by the president of the country and the prime minister (since 1997 - S. Hinds).
Political parties: The People's Progressive Party (PPP) - founded in 1950, the ruling party, primarily supported by agricultural workers and small traders from the Indo-Guyanese population. It has 34 seats in parliament. Leader - B. Jagdeo. The People's National Congress (PNC) - founded in 1955 as a result of a split from the PPP, the leading opposition party. It has 27 seats in parliament. It is supported by Afro-Guyanese. Leader - R. Corbin. There are several small political groups in the country.
Several trade organizations operate, the largest of which are: the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) - founded in 1941, uniting most of the trade unions in the country, a member of the ITUC and ORIT; the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana.
The territories of Guyana were first reached by Europeans in the late 15th century by the Spanish. In the 16th century, Dutch settlements appeared in Guyana, followed by English ones. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a struggle for ownership of this territory between Great Britain, the Netherlands, and France. In 1814, Great Britain acquired the territory according to the Vienna Treaty, which was united in 1831 into what is known as British Guiana. On May 26, 1966, Guyana was proclaimed an independent state; since November 23, 1970, it has been the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
It is a member of the UN (since 1966), OAS (since 1991), Caribbean Community, LAES (since 1975), and is part of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as other regional and international organizations.
The basis of the country's economy is the service sector, agriculture, and mining industry (GDP volume in 2004 - 2.9 billion USD - annual growth 1.9%). There are reserves of bauxite (production - over 1.5 million tons, accounting for 20% of the country's foreign exchange earnings), manganese and iron ores, gold, and diamonds. Guyana has significant hydropower resources. The manufacturing industry is underdeveloped, mainly specializing in the processing of raw materials and agricultural products.
The leading sector in agriculture is the cultivation of sugarcane (in 2004, 325,000 tons of raw sugar were produced - 20% of GDP, 25% of exports) and rice (325,000 tons). Citrus fruits, bananas, corn, coffee, coconuts are cultivated, and valuable timber species are harvested.
Efforts are being made to attract foreign capital and to manage external debt (1.04 billion USD).
Gold and foreign exchange reserves - 137 million USD.
Main export items (about 560 million USD) - bauxite, alumina, raw sugar, rice, timber, shrimp, rum (over 90% of foreign exchange earnings), imports - petroleum products, machinery and equipment, vehicles, construction materials, food, and industrial goods. Main trading partners: USA, EU countries, Great Britain, Canada, Caribbean Community countries.
Guyana continues to be among the 25 poorest countries in the world, ranking among the lowest in GDP per capita in the Caribbean basin.
According to official data, 33-35% of the population lives below the poverty line. Unemployment - 13%. In recent years, about 1% of the population has been leaving the country annually.
The length of the road network is about 8,000 km. Georgetown is the largest seaport and airport in the country.
The country has a university and 2 colleges. The leading daily newspaper is the "Guyana Chronicle" (over 20,000 copies). The state information service is the Guyana Public Relations Agency. The government broadcasting corporation "Guyana Broadcasting Corporation" broadcasts through 2 radio stations. There are 18 television channels in the country. There is a government television service.
