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World > South America > Guyana
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Guyana |
Introduction:
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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, and since then it has been 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. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.
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| Official name: |
Cooperative Republic of Guyana |
| Capital: |
name: Georgetown
geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Government type: |
republic |
| Population: |
769,095
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu |
| Official Currency: |
Guyanan Dollar (GYD) |
| Currency code: |
GYD |
| Area: |
total: 214,970 sq km
land: 196,850 sq km
water: 18,120 sq km |
| Climate: |
tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) |
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Map of Guyana
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