Lithuania (2008) | Guyana (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus | 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: 14.9% (male 273,573/female 259,570)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 1,213,011/female 1,264,996) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 194,500/female 369,789) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 102,111/female 98,325)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 266,288/female 261,620) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 17,308/female 23,443) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish | sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products |
Airports | 87 (2007) | 93 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 30
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 17 (2007) |
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 57
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 53 (2007) |
total: 84
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 69 (2007) |
Area | total: 65,200 sq km
land: NA sq km water: NA sq km |
total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than West Virginia | slightly smaller than Idaho |
Background | Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795, when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I, but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. | 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, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006. |
Birth rate | 8.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 18.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $12.36 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2007 est.) |
revenues: $419.4 million
expenditures: $527.4 million (2007 est.) |
Capital | name: Vilnius
geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
name: Georgetown
geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) |
Coastline | 99 km | 459 km |
Constitution | adopted 25 October 1992 | 6 October 1980 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania local long form: Lietuvos Respublika local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana |
Death rate | 11.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $22.7 billion (30 June 2007) | $1.2 billion (2002) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD
embassy: Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106 mailing address: American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106 telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510 |
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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA
chancery: 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York |
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 |
Disputes - international | Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation | 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 |
Economic aid - recipient | $249.7 million (2004) | $136.8 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) (2005) |
Economy - overview | Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment fell to 3.2% in 2007, while wages continued to grow at double digit rates, contributing to rising inflation. Exports and imports also grew strongly, and the current account deficit rose to nearly 15% of GDP in 2007. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly complete. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy. | The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-07, 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. Economic recovery since the 2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment. 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. In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent to nearly 41% of GDP. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations. 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 will broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector. |
Electricity - consumption | 9.296 billion kWh (2005) | 750.7 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 8.607 billion kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 5.641 billion kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 13.48 billion kWh (2005) | 807.3 million kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m |
Environment - current issues | contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases | water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 |
Ethnic groups | Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census) | East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7% |
Exchange rates | litai per US dollar - 2.5362 (2007), 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003) | Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Gediminas KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with five abstentions |
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% |
Exports | 145,100 bbl/day (2004) | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001) | sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber |
Exports - partners | Russia 12.8%, Latvia 11.1%, Germany 8.6%, Estonia 6.5%, Poland 6.1%, Netherlands 4.8%, Sweden 4.5%, UK 4.4%, US 4.3%, Denmark 4.2%, France 4.2% (2006) | US 18.8%, Canada 18.4%, UK 8.7%, Portugal 6.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.9%, Netherlands 4.3%, Belgium 4.3%, Jamaica 4.1% (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red | 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 - composition by sector | agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 34.2% services: 60.6% (2007 est.) |
agriculture: 35.2%
industry: 19% services: 45.8% (2007 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 8% (2007 est.) | 4.5% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 56 00 N, 24 00 E | 5 00 N, 59 00 W |
Geography - note | fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits | 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 |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 27.7% (2003) |
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1999) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation | 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 |
Imports | 187,800 bbl/day (2004) | 10,070 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals | manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food |
Imports - partners | Russia 24.3%, Germany 14.9%, Poland 9.5%, Latvia 4.8% (2006) | Trinidad and Tobago 23%, US 21.3%, China 9.7%, Cuba 6.3%, UK 4.5% (2006) |
Independence | 11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by Soviet Union) | 26 May 1966 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 5.5% (2007 est.) | 2% (2007 est.) |
Industries | metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry | bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining |
Infant mortality rate | total: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 31.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 34.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.4% (2007 est.) | 10.4% (2007 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 70 sq km (2003) | 1,500 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President | 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 |
Labor force | 1.587 million (2007 est.) | 418,000 (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 15.8%
industry: 28.2% services: 56% (2004) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
Land boundaries | total: 1,613 km
border countries: Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km |
total: 2,949 km
border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km |
Land use | arable land: 44.81%
permanent crops: 0.9% other: 54.29% (2005) |
arable land: 2.23%
permanent crops: 0.14% other: 97.63% (2005) |
Languages | Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census) | English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu |
Legal system | based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members are elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, TS 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Social Democrats 32, TS 25, Labor 23, Farmers National Union 20 (combined with Civil Democracy), Liberal Democrats/Order and Justice 11, New Union Social Liberals 10, Liberal and Center Union 9, Liberal Movement 9 (as of December 2007) |
unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; to 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 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.44 years
male: 69.46 years female: 79.69 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 66.17 years
male: 63.52 years female: 68.95 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6% male: 99.6% female: 99.6% (2001 census) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.) |
Location | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela |
Map references | Europe | South America |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 363,795 GRT/366,624 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 16 foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 9) registered in other countries: 20 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, North Korea 1, Norway 1, Panama 5, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7, unknown 3) (2007) |
total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,516 GRT/14,193 DWT
by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 registered in other countries: 2 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2007) |
Military branches | Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005) | Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2007) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.2% (2006; 1.23% 2007 est.) | 1.8% (2006) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union | Republic Day, 23 February (1970) |
Nationality | noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian |
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese |
Natural hazards | NA | flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons |
Natural resources | peat, arable land, amber | bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish |
Net migration rate | -0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -7.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 1,695 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2007) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Civil Democracy Party or PDP [Viktor MUNTIANAS]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; National Farmer's Union or VLS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS]; Labor Party or DP [Viktor USPASKICH]; Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS]; Liberal Democrats/Order and Justice Party or TT [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Liberal Movement or LLS [Petras AUSTREVICIUS]; Social Democratic Party or LSDP [Gediminas KIRKILAS]; Social Liberal/New Union [Arturas PAULAUSKAS]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists [Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS] | 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] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | 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 |
Population | 3,575,439 (July 2007 est.) | 769,095
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 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 4% (2003) | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.289% (2007 est.) | 0.234% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001) | AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Railways | total: 1,771 km
broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2006) |
- |
Religions | Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census) | Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.054 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.959 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.526 male(s)/female total population: 0.887 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.018 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.738 male(s)/female total population: 1.006 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate; being modernized to provide improved international capability and better residential access
domestic: rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted in a steady decline in the number of main line subscriptions; mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to about 135 per 100 persons while fixed-line teledensity has dropped to 22 per 100 persons international: country code - 370; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland |
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005 international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 792,400 (2006) | 110,100 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4.718 million (2006) | 281,400 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001) | 3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997) |
Terrain | lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil | mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south |
Total fertility rate | 1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 2.04 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.2%
note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 est.) |
9.1% (understated) (2000) |
Waterways | 425 km (2005) | Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006) |