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Guyana Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Capital Georgetown
Area 214,969 sq km
83,000 sq mi
Guyana: Flag and Anthem
Guyana: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 769,095 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.23 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 755,884 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 597,806 (2007 estimate)
Population density 3.9 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
10 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 39 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 61 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Georgetown 275,000 (1999 estimate)
Ethnic groups
East Indian 51 percent
Black African, mixed 43 percent
Native American 4 percent
European, Chinese 2 percent
Languages
English (official), Hindi, Urdu, Native American dialects
Religious affiliations
Hindu 33 percent
Protestant 20 percent
Roman Catholic 10 percent
Anglican 9 percent
Muslim 9 percent
Indigenous beliefs 2 percent
Other 17 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 66.2 years (2007 estimate)
Female 69 years (2007 estimate)
Male 63.5 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 31 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 2,075 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 345 people (2001)
Literacy rate
Total 99 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 98.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 99.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 9.1 percent (2002-2003)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 10 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 27 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Republic
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 6 October 1980; amended 1998, 2000, 2001
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel 1,100 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 0.7 percent (2003)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $787 million (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,047.50 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 31 percent (2005)
Industry 24.5 percent (2005)
Services 44.5 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 329,611 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 28 percent (1997)
Industry 23 percent (1997)
Services 48 percent (1997)
Unemployment rate 9.1 percent (2001)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $246.9 million (1996 estimate)
Total expenditure $287 million (1996 estimate)
Monetary unit
1 Guyana dollar (G$), consisting of 100 cents
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Jamaica
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Netherlands Antilles, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, and United Kingdom
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 98.97 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 1.03 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 604 (2000 estimate)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 147 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 100 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 6.9 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 75 (2000)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people Not available
Paved road as a share of total roads 7 percent (1999)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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