Guyana

Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "One People, One Nation, One Destiny"
Anthem: "Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains"
Location of Guyana (green) in South America (grey)
Capital and largest city	Georgetown 6°48′21″N 58°9′3″W / 6.80583°N 58.15083°W / 6.80583; -58.15083
Official languages	English
Recognised regional languages	10 indigenous languages Akawaio Macushi Waiwai Arawak (Lokono) Patamona Warao Carib Wapishana Pemon (Arekuna) Mawayana
Vernacular language	Guyanese Creole
Other languages	5 languages Guyanese Hindustani Portuguese Dutch Spanish Chinese
Ethnic groups (2012)[1]	39.8% Indian 29.3% African 19.9% Multiracial 10.5% Indigenous 0.3% European 0.2% Chinese
Religion (2020)[2]	54.2% Christianity 31.0% Hinduism 7.5% Islam 4.2% no religion 3.1% others
Demonym(s)	Guyanese
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic with an executive presidency[a]
• President	Irfaan Ali
• First Vice President & Prime Minister	Mark Phillips
• Second Vice President	Bharrat Jagdeo
• Speaker of the National Assembly	Manzoor Nadir
• Chief Justice	Roxane George-Wiltshire
Legislature	National Assembly
Establishment
• Dutch control	1667–1815
• British Guiana	1831–1966
• Independence from the United Kingdom as Guyana	26 May 1966
• Republic	23 February 1970
• Joined CARICOM at the Treaty of Chaguaramas	1 August 1973
• Current constitution	6 October 1980
Area
• Total	214,969[4][5][6] km2 (83,000 sq mi) (83rd)
• Water (%)	8.4
Population
• 2024 estimate	817,607[7] (166th)
• Density	3.502/km2 (9.1/sq mi) (239th)
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	$63.822 billion[8] (115th)
• Per capita	$80,137[8] (10th)
GDP (nominal)	2024 estimate
• Total	$21.178 billion[8] (124th)
• Per capita	$26,592[8] (42nd)
Gini (2007)	44.6[9] medium inequality
HDI (2022)	0.742[10] high (95th)
Currency	Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on	left
Calling code	+592
ISO 3166 code	GY
Internet TLD	.gy

Guyana (/ɡaɪˈɑːnə/ ^ⓘ or /ɡaɪˈænə/ ^ⓘ ghy-A(H)N-ə),^[11][5] officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,^[12] is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic mainland British West Indies. Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the country's largest city. Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Venezuela to the west, and Suriname to the east. With a land area of 214,969 km² (83,000 sq mi),^[13] Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname, and is the second-least populous sovereign state in South America after Suriname; it is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. The official language of the country is English, although a large part of the population is bilingual in English and the indigenous languages. It has a wide variety of natural habitats and very high biodiversity. The country also hosts a part of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world.

The region known as "the Guianas" consists of the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River known as the "land of many waters". Nine indigenous tribes reside in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Macushi, Patamona, Lokono, Kalina, Wapishana, Pemon, Akawaio and Warao. Historically dominated by the Lokono and Kalina tribes, Guyana was colonised by the Dutch before coming under British control in the late 18th century. It was governed as British Guiana with a mostly plantation-style economy until the 1950s. It gained independence in 1966 and officially became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. The legacy of British colonialism is reflected in the country's political administration, lingua franca and diverse population, which includes Indian, African, Indigenous, Chinese, Portuguese, other European, and various multiracial groups.

Guyana is the only mainland South American nation in which English is the official language. However, the majority of the population speak Guyanese Creole, an English-based creole language, as a first language. Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. It is part of the mainland Caribbean region maintaining strong cultural, historical, and political ties with other Caribbean countries as well as serving as the headquarters for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In 2008, the country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member.

In 2017, 41% of the population of Guyana lived below the poverty line.^[14] Guyana's economy has been undergoing a transformation since the discovery of crude oil in 2015 and commercial drilling in 2019, with its economy growing by 49% in 2020, making it, by some accounts, currently the world's fastest-growing economy. As it is said to have 11 billion barrels in oil reserves,^[15] the country is set to become one of the largest per capita oil producers in the world by 2025.^[16] The discovery of over 11 billion barrels of oil reserves off the coast of Guyana since 2017 is the largest addition to global oil reserves since the 1970s.^[17] Guyana is now ranked as having the fourth-highest GDP per capita in the Americas after the United States, Canada, and The Bahamas, and has been one of the countries with the most improvement in Human Development Index ranking since 2015. According to the World Bank in 2023, very significant poverty still exists and the country faces significant risks in structurally managing its growth.^[18]

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