World Country Guide

General Information

Area
214,969 sq km (83,000 sq miles).

Population
767,000 (official UN estimate 2004).

Population Density
3.6 per sq km.

Capital
Georgetown. Population: 151,679.

Geography
Guyana lies in the northeast of South America, bordered by Venezuela to the west, Surinam to the southeast and Brazil to the south. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The word ‘Guiana’ (the original Amerindian spelling) means ‘land of many waters’ and the name was well chosen, for there are over 1600km (965 miles) of navigable rivers in the country. The interior is either high savannah uplands (such as those along the Venezuelan border, called the Rupununi, and the Kanuku Mountains in the far southwest), or thick, hilly jungle and forest, which occupy over 83 per cent of the country’s area. The narrow coastal belt contains the vast majority of the population, and produces the major cash crop, sugar, and the major subsistence crop, rice. One of the most spectacular sights to be seen in the interior is the towering Kaieteur Falls along the Potaro River, five times the height of Niagara. The country has 322km (206 miles) of coastline. More than 25 per cent of the population lives in or near Georgetown.

Government
Republic. Head of State: President Bharrat Jagdeo since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Samuel A Hinds since 1997.

Language
English is the official language, but Creole, Hindi, Urdu and Amerindian dialects are also spoken.

Religion
50 per cent Christian, 33 per cent Hindu, less than 10 per cent Muslim.

Time
GMT - 4.

Electricity
110 and 220 volts AC, 60Hz.

Communications

Telephone
IDD is available to main towns and cities. Country code: 592. Outgoing international code: 001.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network in use. Network providers include Cel Star Guyana Inc and Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) (website: www.gtt.co.gy). Mobile phones can be hired from GT&T.

Fax
Facilities are available at the GT&T, the Bank of Guyana Building in Georgetown and hotels.

Telegram
Available at the GT&T and Bank of Guyana Building. Certain hotels also have facilities.

Internet
Internet cafes are available in Georgetown. ISPs include GT&T and GuyanaNet (website: www.guyana.net.gy).

Press
The daily state-owned newspaper is The Guyana Chronicle. The independent Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News are published weekdays. On weekends, there are also The Mirror, The Sunday Chronicle and The Sunday Stabroek.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.