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Guyana is a Country of South America. It is bathed by
the Atlantic Ocean, to the north and northeast, and is
bordered by Suriname to the east, Brazil to the south
and west, and Venezuela to the northwest. It covers an
area of 214 970 km2. The main cities are
Georgetown, the capital, with a population of 229,600
inhabitants (2004), Linden (44,500 inhabitants) and New
Amsterdam (32,900 inhabitants). Guyana is
characterized by a coastal region with 30 kilometers and
where the sea has been gaining ground. Here, man strives
to build dykes to protect himself against the tides. The
area of white sands is not very fertile, but contains
deposits of bauxite. The mountainous region is located
in the Midwest of the country and culminates in the
Brazilian border in the Pacaraima mountain range; in the
south, there is a plateau covered with vast savannas.
Climate
The climate is tropical. It is generally hot and humid,
only more moderate in the Northeast because of the
winds. It has two rainy seasons a year, between May and
August and from November to January.
Economy
Guyana has natural resources, such as mining reserves of
bauxite, gold, diamonds, magnesium and uranium. It has
enormous hydroelectric resources and land suitable for
agriculture in the coastal area, where sugar cane is
grown. Guyana's main trading partners are the United
States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 2.2.
Population
In 2006, the Republic of Guyana had a population of
767,245 inhabitants, most of whom live in rural
areas. The population density is 4. The birth and death
rates are, respectively, 18.28% and 8.28%. Average life
expectancy is 65.86 years. The value of the Human
Development Index (HDI) is 0.740 and the value of the
Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.730
(2001). The two most important ethnic groups are Indians
(50%) and blacks (36%), Amerindians 7% and others
/%; there are also important minorities of Chinese and
Portuguese and about 35,000 indigenous Indians. The
predominant religions are Protestantism (34%), Hinduism
(34%) and Catholicism (18%). The official language is
English.
History
The territory was inhabited by Indians when, in 1500,
the first Europeans arrived. The area of Guyana today
was a Dutch colony between 1621 and 1796, when it was
conquered by the British. It became an English colony in
1831 under the name of British Guiana. English colonists
made slaves black, but with the progressive abolition of
slavery, between 1834 and 1838, plots of land were
allocated to blacks. An economic crisis ensued because
sugar was the main production and had to compete with
countries like Brazil and Cuba. At this time, Indian
emigrants arrived in Guyana who introduced the culture
of rice and coffee. From 1846 to 1917 240,000 emigrants
arrived in Guyana. In 1950 Cheddi Jagan started to bet
on the country's independence and founded the
Progressive People's Party and three years later he
wrote a liberal Constitution that provided for free
elections. Jagan became Prime Minister, an attitude that
Winston Churchill did not like. The internal struggles
intensified, strikes followed by fires in the
plantations. In 1957 elections were held and the left
party led by the Indian Cheddi Jagan won. London sent
military reinforcements to Georgetown, suspended the
Constitution and was to govern the country on an interim
basis. In July 1961 it received the status of internal
autonomy. Until independence in 1966, Guyana suffered
political and economic struggles and joined the
Commonwealth.
Forbes Burnham emerged as the new national leader in
opposition to Jagan, despite calling himself a
socialist. National companies are controlled by the
Government through a cooperative policy that is the
country's official doctrine.
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