Guyana (2006) | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 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 | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 26.2% (male 102,551/female 98,772)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 265,193/female 260,892) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 17,043/female 22,794) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years:
29.61% (male 17,466; female 16,865) 15-64 years: 64.04% (male 38,074; female 36,179) 65 years and over: 6.35% (male 3,162; female 4,196) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp | bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish |
Airports | 90 (2006) | 6 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2006) |
total:
5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 81
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 65 (2006) |
total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km |
total:
389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Idaho | twice the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Jane JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001. | Disputed between France and Great Britain in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969, and independence in 1979. |
Birth rate | 18.28 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 17.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $320.1 million
expenditures: $362.6 million; including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2005 est.) |
revenues:
$85.7 million expenditures: $98.6 million, including capital expenditures of $25.7 million (1997 est.) |
Capital | name: Georgetown
geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Kingstown |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) | tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Coastline | 459 km | 84 km |
Constitution | 6 October 1980 | 27 October 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Currency | - | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
Death rate | 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (2002) | $99.3 million (1998) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador David M. ROBINSON
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170 telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497 |
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN
chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ellsworth JOHN chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 |
Disputes - international | all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) | $47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998) |
Economy - overview | The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Growth slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings; it slowed again in 2005. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 might broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector. | Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new industries, and a high unemployment rate persists. The continuing dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands' development; tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in both 1994 and 1995. The tourism sector has considerable potential for development over the next decade. Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism. There is a small manufacturing sector and a small offshore financial sector whose particularly restrictive secrecy laws have caused some international concern. |
Electricity - consumption | 724.5 million kWh (2003) | 76.3 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 779 million kWh (2003) | 82 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
73.17% hydro: 26.83% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m |
Environment - current issues | water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation | pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7% | black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2% |
Exchange rates | Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and reelected in 2001, and again in 2006
head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6% |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 September 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $53.7 million (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber | bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets |
Exports - partners | Canada 18.9%, US 18.9%, UK 11.7%, Portugal 8.1%, Jamaica 5.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2005) | Caricom countries 49%, UK 16%, US 10% (1995) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $322 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 37%
industry: 20.3% services: 42.7% (2005 est.) |
agriculture:
10.6% industry: 17.5% services: 71.9% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | -3% (2005 est.) | 2% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 5 00 N, 59 00 W | 13 15 N, 61 12 W |
Geography - note | the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada |
Highways | - | total:
1,040 km paved: 320 km unpaved: 720 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $185.6 million (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels |
Imports - partners | US 26.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.9%, Cuba 6.6%, UK 5%, China 4.1% (2005) | US 36%, Caricom countries 28%, UK 13% (1995) |
Independence | 26 May 1966 (from UK) | 27 October 1979 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | -0.9% (1997 est.) |
Industries | bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining | food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch |
Infant mortality rate | total: 32.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 35.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
16.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.9% (2005 est.) | 2% (1999 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 15 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 1,500 sq km (2003) | 10 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
Labor force | 418,000 (2001 est.) | 67,000 (1984 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 2,462 km
border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.23%
permanent crops: 0.14% other: 97.63% (2005) |
arable land:
10% permanent crops: 18% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 36% other: 31% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu | English, French patois |
Legal system | based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly (65 members elected by popular vote, also not more than four non-elected non-voting ministers and two non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2 |
unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 65.86 years
male: 63.21 years female: 68.65 years (2006 est.) |
total population:
72.56 years male: 70.83 years female: 74.34 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) |
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela | Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | South America | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,461 GRT/15,155 DWT
by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 1) (2006) |
total:
800 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,705,336 GRT/10,134,002 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 131, cargo 395, chemical tanker 29, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 1, container 46, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 42, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 11, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 4, Ireland 1, France 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 1, Croatia 10, India 1, Japan 2, Monaco 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Pakistan 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, UAE 1 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps (2006) | Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $6.48 million (2003 est.) | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.9% (2003 est.) | NA% |
National holiday | Republic Day, 23 February (1970) | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |
Nationality | noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese |
noun:
Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
Natural hazards | flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons | hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat |
Natural resources | bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish | hydropower, cropland |
Net migration rate | -7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | -7.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE] | National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress | NA |
Population | 767,245
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 2006 est.) |
115,942 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.25% (2006 est.) | 0.4% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Kingstown |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 77,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 187 km
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.) |
0 km |
Religions | Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5% | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Hindu, other Protestant |
Sex ratio | 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: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
adequate system domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia |
Telephones - main lines in use | 110,100 (2005) | 20,500 (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 281,400 (2005) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997) | 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south | volcanic, mountainous |
Total fertility rate | 2.04 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 9.1% (understated) (2000) | 22% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2005) | none |