Guyana

Geography

Official Name: Cooperative Republic Guyana
Capital City: Georgetown
Languages: English (official language), hindi, urdu
Official Currency: Guyananese Dollar
Religions: Christians, Hindus, Muslims
Population: 772 298 (2009)
Land Area: 214 970 sq km; verges (in km) with Suriname - 625, Venezuela - 672, Brazil - 1 225 and has a coastline 480 kilometers.
Landforms: 4 geographical areas: coastal wetlands fields in hilly and sandy area to the east, savannah of tropical forests and mountainous areas of south and central part.
Land Divisions: 10 area and 27 municipalities

History

Guyana was inhabited by the Arawak and Carib tribes of Amerindians. Although Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). The British assumed control in the late 18th century, and the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana. Escaped slaves formed their own settlements known as Maroon communities. With the abolition of slavery in 1834, many of the former slaves began to settle in urban areas. Indentured labourers from modern-day Portugal (1834), Germany (first in 1835), Ireland (1836), Scotland (1837), Malta (1839), China and eastern India (Bengal and Bihar primarily, beginning in 1838) were imported to work on the sugar plantations.In 1889, Venezuela claimed the land up to the Essequibo. But ten years later, an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to British Guаyana. Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The United States State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing who would politically control Guyana during this time.[17] They provided secret financial support and political campaign advice to Guаyanese of African descent, especially Forbes Burnham's People's National Congress to the detriment of the Cheddi Jagan-led People's Progressive Party, mostly supported by Guаyanese of Indian descent.In 1978, Guyana received considerable international attention when 918 almost entirely American members(more than 300 of which were children) of the Jim Jones-led Peoples Temple died in a mass murder/suicide in Jonestown — a settlement created by the Peoples Temple. An attack by Jim Jones' body guards at a small remote airstrip close to Jonestown resulted in the murder of five people, including Leo Ryan, the only Congressman murdered in the line of duty in US history.

Economy

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries produce about half of all export earnings. In the agricultural sector employs about one quarter of the working population. Arable land is less than 1% of the country, almost all of them are concentrated in the coastal strip. Main crops: sugar cane, rice (grown mainly farmers of Indian origin), cocoa, tobacco, coffee, cocoa, bananas and citrus fruits. Vegetables and beans are produced mainly for domestic consumption. Meat production is concentrated in the savanna, and milk - in the coastal strip. There extraction of gold and bauxite, precious stones and diamonds. They are state owned, which provides concessions for their exploitation by private companies. Among exporters of bauxite in the Latin America Guyana ranks fourth after Brazil, Jamaica and Suriname, and is among 11 world leaders. Since 1975 the government nationalized bauxite mining, but now planned partial privatization and restructuring. Were found large deposits of oil, but it is not usable, and the country remains dependent on oil imports. Manufacturing is poorly developed, specialized in processing of raw materials and agricultural products. Guyana exported sugar, gold, bauxite, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber, plywood etc.. The output of Guyana is exported to Canada, the United States, Britain, Portugal, Belgium and Jamaica. Imported machinery, equipment, petroleum, transport equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, manufactured goods. Key partners: U.S., Trinidad and Tobago, Italy, Britain and Cuba.

Culture

Guyana, along with Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil, is one of the four non-Hispanic nations in South America. Guyana's culture is very similar to that of the English-speaking Caribbean , and has historically been tied to the English speaking Caribbean as part of the British Empire when it became a possession in the nineteenth century. Guyana is a founding member of the Caricom (Caribbean Community) economic bloc. The geographical location, the sparsely populated rain forest regions, and the substantial Amerindian population differentiate it from English-speaking Caribbean countries. Its blend of Indo-Guyanese (East Indian) and Afro-Guyanese (African) cultures gives it similarities to Trinidad and distinguishes it from other parts of the Americas. Guyanese have similar interests with the islands in the West Indies, such as food, festive events, music, sports, etc. Guyana plays international cricket. Тhe Guyana team plays first class cricket against other nations of the Caribbean. In March and April 2007 Guyana co-hosted the Cricket World Cup 2007. In addition to its CARICOM membership, Guyana is a member of CONCACAF, the international football federation for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Political system, law and government

Politics of Guyana takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Guyana is the head of government, and of a multi-party system and is elected for 5 years. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly of Guyana. It includes 65 members, elected also for 5 years. Historically, politics is a source of tension in the country, and violent riots have often broken out during elections. During the 1970s and 1980s, the political landscape was dominated by the People's National Congress.In 1992, the first "free and fair" elections were overseen by former United States President Jimmy Carter.