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General Information
Area: 214,969 sq km (83,000 sq miles).
Population: 782,000 (official estimate 1999).
Population Density: 3.6 per sq km.
Capital: Georgetown. Population: 200,000 (1996).
GEOGRAPHY: Guyana lies in the northeast of South America, bordered by Venezuela to the west, Surinam to the southeast and Brazil to the south. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The word ‘Guiana’ (the original Amerindian spelling) means ‘land of many waters’ and the name was well chosen, for there are over 1600km (965 miles) of navigable rivers in the country. The interior is either high savannah uplands (such as those along the Venezuelan border, called the Rupununi, and the Kanaku Mountains in the far southwest), or thick, hilly jungle and forest, which occupy over 85 per cent of the country’s area. The narrow coastal belt contains the vast majority of the population, and produces the major cash crop, sugar, and the major subsistence crop, rice. One of the most spectacular sights to be seen in the interior is the towering Kaieteur Falls along the Potaro River, five times the height of Niagara. The country has 322km (206 miles) of coastline. More than 25 per cent of the population lives in or near Georgetown.
Government: Republic. Head of State: President Bharrat Jagdeo since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Samuel A Hinds since 1997.
Language: English is the official language, but Creole, Hindi, Urdu and Amerindian are also spoken.
Religion: 50 per cent Christian, 33 per cent Hindu, less than ten per cent Muslim.
Time: GMT - 4.
Electricity: 110 and 220 volts AC, 60Hz.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD is available to main towns and cities. Country code: 592. Outgoing international code: 001.
Mobile telephone
Tri band network in use. Network providers include Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) (Tel: 267 840; Fax: 262 457; website: www.gtt.co.gy). Mobile phones can be hired from GT&T.
Fax
Facilities are available at the GT&T, the Bank of Guyana Building in Georgetown and hotels.
Telegram
Available at the GT&T and Bank of Guyana Building. Certain hotels also have facilities.
Internet
Internet cafes are available in Georgetown. ISPs include GT&T and GuyanaNet (website: www.guyana.net.gy).
Press
The daily state-owned newspaper is The Guyana Chronicle. The independent Stabroek News is published weekdays. On weekends, there is also The Mirror, The Kaieteur News and The New Nation.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
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