GUYANA

“land of waters.”

Location.Guyana is a Republic on the northern coast of South America, bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Suriname, on the south by Brazil, and on the west by Brazil and Venezue

Flag and currencyName: the Golden Arrowhead

Adopted: 1966.

The colors are symbolic:

green for agriculture and forests, white for rivers and water, gold for mineral wealth, black for endurance, and red for zeal and dynamism.

Designed by Whitney Smith.

Currency: Guyanese dollar

Demographic information

Population: 752,940 Area (sq. km) 214,970 Infant mortality rate: 31.35

deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) Languages: English (official),

Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi Life expectancy at birth: total

population: 64.04 years (Male: 61.08 years and Female: 67.15 years)

POLITICAL ASPECTS

Government type: republic within the Commonwealth

Constitution: 6 October 1980 Legal system: based on English common law.

President: Bharrat Jagdeo PPP 11 August 1999

Prime Minister: Sam Hinds PPP 11 August 1999

The president is the head of state and is elected for a five-year term on the basis of parliamentary elections

The prime minister is the head of government and leader of the majority party in the National Assembly.

RELIGION

• Christian 50%.

• Hindu 33%.

• Muslim 9%.

• other 8%

Economic

Composition by sector: agriculture: 38.3% industry: 19.9%

services: 41.8% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9.1% (understated) (2000)

The main industries in Guyana are bauxite mining, gold mining, Demerara sugar, timber, shrimp and mineral.

High cost of living.

HUMAN HEALTH & DISEASE

• Many of Guyana's health problems are the result of its human geography

• The leading causes of death are circulatory, respiratory, infectious, and parasitic diseases

• Among the endemic illnesses in Guyana are malaria, typhoid, filariasis, and tuberculosis

filariasis

filariasis