Guyana (gīăn'ə, –än'–) , officially Co-operative Republic of Guyana, republic (2005 est. pop. 765,000), 83,000 sq mi (214,969 sq km), NE South America. It is bordered on the N by the Atlantic Ocean, on the E by Suriname, on the S and W by Brazil, and on the W by Venezuela. The capital and largest city is Georgetown.

Land and People

On the east Guyana is separated from Suriname by the Courantyne (Corantijn or Corentyne) River. The Akarai Mts. form the southern border with Brazil. Several rivers make up much of the western border with Brazil and Venezuela, and the Essequibo River flows through the center of the country. There is a cultivated coastal plain and a forested, hilly interior (for a more detailed description of the physical characteristics of the area, see Guiana). The climate is hot and humid, and the rainfall is heavy.
Most of the population lives along the coast. About half of the people trace their ancestry to India, and the rest are of African, mixed, or indigenous descent. English, Hindi, Urdu, and various indigenous dialects are spoken. Christianity and Hinduism are the main religions, and there is a substantial Muslim minority. The Univ. of Guyana in Georgetown was founded in 1963.

Economy

Agriculture and mining are the principal economic activities. Sugarcane and rice are the leading crops, and corn, coconuts, and citrus fruit are also grown. Cattle and other livestock are raised. Bauxite, manganese, gold, and diamonds are mined. There are large forest resources (notably greenheart and balatá) that have been exploited. The bauxite industry, among others, was nationalized in the early 1970s.
The chief exports are bauxite, alumina, sugar, rice, shrimp, gold, and timber. Reforms were instituted in the late 1980s to liberalize the country's economy and to attract foreign aid and investment, and the economy grew in the 1990s. The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are the most important trading partners.

Government

Guyana has a 53-member unicameral legislature, the national assembly, whose members are chosen by proportional representation. The national assembly elects the president, who is the chief executive and the head of state. The president appoints a cabinet and prime minister. Guyana's politics largely reflect its ethnic differences. The leading parties are the socialist People's National Congress (PNC), the Marxist-oriented People's Progressive party (PPP), the conservative United Force party (UF), and the Alliance for Guyana (AFG). There are ten administrative regions in the country. Guyana is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

History

Before the arrival of European settlers, the indigenous Warrau tribe controlled the territory of Guyana. In the early 17th cent. the Dutch established settlements about the Essequibo River, and England and France also founded colonies in the Guiana region. By the Treaty of Breda (1667) the Dutch gained all the English colonies in Guiana. Possessions continued to change hands in the late 18th and early 19th cent. until the Congress of Vienna (1815) awarded the settlements of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo to Great Britain; they were united as British Guiana in 1831. Slavery was abolished in 1834. In 1879 gold was discovered, thus speeding British expansion toward the Orinoco delta and resulting in the Venezuela Boundary Dispute.
After World War II significant progress toward self-government was made. Under the 1952 constitution, elections were won (1953) by the PPP, headed by Cheddi Jagan, who formed a government. However, the British deemed the government pro-Communist and suspended the constitution. Subsequently the PPP split, and Forbes Burnham formed the PNC. The PPP again won elections in 1957 and (after self-government was granted) in 1961, but was politically weakened by strikes and unrest; it later emerged that much of the agitation was precipitated or funded by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency at the instigation of the Kennedy administration. Proportional representation was then introduced, in response to PNC charges that the electoral system was unfair.