Guyana: Background & Geography

Introduction Guyana
Background:
 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, but until the early 1990s it was 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. Upon his death five years later, he was succeeded by his wife Janet, who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.
Geography Guyana
Location:
 Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Map references:
 South America
Area:
 total: 214,970 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
Area - comparative:
 slightly smaller than Idaho
Land boundaries:
 total: 2,462 km
border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Coastline:
 459 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Climate:
 tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)
Terrain:
 mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m
Natural resources:
 bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Land use:
 arable land: 2.44%
permanent crops: 0.08%
other: 97.48% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
 1,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
 flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues:
 water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
Environment - international 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
Geography - note:
 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

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