Cayman Islands (2001) | Guyana (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western | 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
22.21% (male 3,807; female 4,084) 15-64 years: 69.74% (male 12,102; female 12,676) 65 years and over: 8.05% (male 1,318; female 1,540) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
28.19% (male 100,194; female 96,309) 15-64 years: 66.89% (male 234,976; female 231,360) 65 years and over: 4.92% (male 15,324; female 19,018) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming | sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest and fishery potential not exploited |
Airports | 3 (2000 est.) | 51 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total:
6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total:
45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
259 sq km land: 259 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km |
Area - comparative | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Idaho |
Background | The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica from 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the former became independent. | Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966 and became a republic in 1970. In 1989 Guyana launched an Economic Recovery Program, which marked a dramatic reversal from a state-controlled, socialist economy towards a more open, free market system. Results through the first decade have proven encouraging. |
Birth rate | 13.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 17.92 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$265.2 million expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues:
$220.1 million expenditures: $286.4 million, including capital expenditures of $86.6 million (1998) |
Capital | George Town | Georgetown |
Climate | tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January) |
Coastline | 160 km | 459 km |
Constitution | 1959, revised 1972 and 1992 | 6 October 1980 |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Cayman Islands |
conventional long form:
Co-operative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana |
Currency | Caymanian dollar (KYD) | Guyanese dollar (GYD) |
Death rate | 5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $70 million (1996) | $1.1 billion (2000) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Ronald D. GODARD embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown telephone: [592] (2) 54900 through 54909, 57960 through 57969 FAX: [592] (2) 58497 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Ali Odeen ISHMAEL chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari [Koetari] rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne) |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) |
Economy - overview | With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1997, including almost 600 banks and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 1.2 million visitors in 1997. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world. | Severe drought and political turmoil contributed to Guyana's negative growth of -1.8% for 1998 following six straight years of growth of 5% or better. Growth came back to a positive 1.8% in 1999 and 3% in 2000. Underlying growth factors have included expansion in the key agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiative, a more realistic exchange rate, a moderate inflation rate, and continued support by international organizations. President JAGDEO, the former finance minister, is taking steps to reform the economy, including drafting an investment code and restructuring the inefficient and unresponsive public sector. Problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government must persist in efforts to manage its sizable external debt and attract new investment. |
Electricity - consumption | 306.9 million kWh (1999) | 423.2 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 330 million kWh (1999) | 455 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
98.9% hydro: 1.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff 43 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m |
Environment - current issues | no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchment | water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20% | East Indian 49%, black 32%, mixed 12%, Amerindian 6%, white and Chinese 1% |
Exchange rates | Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) | Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 184.1 (November 2000), 182.2 (2000), 178.0 (1999), 150.5 (1998), 142.4 (1997), 140.4 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor and President of the Executive Council Peter SMITH (since 5 May 1999) head of government: Kurt TIBBETTS (since November 2000) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch |
chief of state:
President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President JAGAN head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since NA December 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by the majority party in the National Assembly following legislative elections, which must be held at least every five years; elections last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
Exports | $1.5 million (1998) | $570 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | turtle products, manufactured consumer goods | sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber |
Exports - partners | mostly US | US 22%, Canada 22%, UK 18%, Netherlands Antilles 11%, Jamaica (1999) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS | green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $930 million (1997 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) |
agriculture:
34.7% industry: 32.5% services: 32.8% (1998 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,500 (1997 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.9% (1999 est.) | 3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 19 30 N, 80 30 W | 5 00 N, 59 00 W |
Geography - note | important location between Cuba and Central America | - |
Highways | total:
406 km paved: 304 km unpaved: 102 km |
total:
7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | vulnerable to drug money laundering and drug transshipment to the US and Europe | transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis |
Imports | $507.6 million (1998) | $660 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, manufactured goods | manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food |
Imports - partners | US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan | US 29%, Trinidad and Tobago 18%, Netherlands Antilles 16%, UK 7%, Japan (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 26 May 1966 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 7.1% (1997 est.) |
Industries | tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture | bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing (shrimp), textiles, gold mining |
Infant mortality rate | 10.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 38.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (1998) | 5.9% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate) | ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 3 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 1,300 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal | Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court |
Labor force | 19,820 (1995) | 245,492 (1992) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995) | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
2,462 km border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 23% other: 69% (1993 est.) |
arable land:
2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 84% other: 8% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English | English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu |
Legal system | British common law and local statutes | based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three appointed members and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA |
unicameral National Assembly (65 seats, 53 elected by popular vote, 10 elected by the ten Regional Democratic Councils, and 2 elected by the National Congress of Local Democratic Organs; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.03 years male: 76.24 years female: 81.43 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
63.31 years male: 60.52 years female: 66.24 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.1% male: 98.6% female: 97.5% (1995 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | South America |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
continental shelf:
200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
106 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,656,452 GRT/2,643,036 DWT ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 5, chemical tanker 27, container 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Denmark 2, Finland 1, Greece 11, Norway 3, UK 3, US 3 (2000 est.) |
total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,929 GRT/4,507 DWT ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF) | Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Corps), Guyana People's Militia (GPM), Guyana National Service (GNS), Guyana Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $7 million (FY94) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.7% (FY94) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
204,938 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
154,259 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Constitution Day, first Monday in July | Republic Day, 23 February (1970) |
Nationality | noun:
Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian |
noun:
Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (July to November) | flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons |
Natural resources | fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism | bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish |
Net migration rate | 12.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US |
-8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | there are no formal political parties but the following loose groupings act as political organizations; National Team; Democratic Alliance; Team Cayman | Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [leader NA]; Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Hugh Desmond HOYTE]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Janet JAGEN]; Rise, Organize and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPARNINE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Civil Liberties Action Committee or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO; Rise, Organize and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; Trades Union Congress or TUC
note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well organized |
Population | 35,527 (July 2001 est.) | 697,181
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.12% (2001 est.) | 0.07% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cayman Brac, George Town | Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 36,000 (1997) | 420,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total:
187 km (all dedicated to ore transport) standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge |
Religions | United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant | Christian 50%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 8% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
0.86 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
fair system for long-distance calling domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 19,000 (1995) | 70,000 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,534 (1995) | 6,100 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997) |
Terrain | low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs | mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south |
Total fertility rate | 2.04 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.1 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.1% (1997) | 12% (1992 est.) |
Waterways | none | 5,900 km (total length of navigable waterways)
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively |