Simple directory > Regional > Guyana

Country : Guyana Official name: Co-operative Republic of Guyana Head of State: President Bharrat Jagdeo (PPP/Civic) (since Aug 1999; re-elected 19 Mar 2001) Head of government: Prime Minister Samuel A A Hinds (since 1997) Ruling party: People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/Civic) Coalition (re-elected 19 Mar 2001) Area: 214,970 square km Population: 869,100 (2004) Capital: Georgetown Official language: English Currency: Guyana dollar (G$) = 100 cents Exchange rate: G$179.00 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$1,029 (2003) GDP real growth: 0.20% (2003) Labour force: 418,000 (2003) Inflation: 5.80% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$75.00 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$1.20 billion (2003) Visitor numbers: 100,911 (2003)

Historical profile

The original Guyana was inhabited by semi-nomadic Amerindian tribes, notably Arawaks and Caribs, who lived by hunting and fishing. The region was divided by European powers into Spanish Guiana (Venezuela), Portuguese Guiana (Brazil), French Guiana, Dutch Guiana (Suriname) and British Guiana (Guyana).

1499 Colonial competition for territory began with the Spanish sighting.

1627 Temporary Spanish or Portuguese settlements were followed by Dutch settlement, first unsuccessfully at Pomeroon, and then under the protection of the Dutch West India Company on the Berbice River.

1814 The colonies of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice were ceded to Britain. The Europeans imported African slaves to develop their plantations and to construct the coastal drainage system and the city of Georgetown.

1831 The British administration merged the three colonies into British Guiana, but retained the Dutch administrative, legislative and legal system.

1834 After the abolition of slavery, Indian and smaller numbers of Chinese and Japanese indentured labourers were brought to work on the estates.

1964 Support began to grow for independence. Guyana's political system was generally viewed as fraudulent and Guyana was a de facto one-party state and an 'administrative dictatorship'.

1966 Guyana gained independence.

1992 A new National Assembly and Regional Councils were elected in the first free and fair general elections. The former Marxist, Dr Cheddi Jagan, founder of the People's Progressive Party (PPP), was elected president.

1997 The People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/Civic) coalition won the election, but the People's National Congress (PNC) refused to accept the election results. Janet Jagan became president.

1998 After boycotting parliament since the 1997 election, the PNC returned to the National Assembly, following intervention by the Caribbean Community (Caricom), which carried out an independent audit of the election results and brokered an accord with the PNC, which also catered for a new constitution and fresh elections.

1999 President Janet Jagan resigned because of ill-health. She was succeeded by Bharrat Jagdeo, whose mandate ran until the 2001 elections.

2001 The general election was won by President Jagdeo's ruling PPP/Civic.

2002 A high-profile television presenter was charged with treason after he was accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Following his arrest, a demonstration was organised by the opposition People's Solidarity Movement (PSM), protesting against the Bharrat Jagdeo administration and accusing his government of racial discrimination.

2003 In May, an agreement was signed between President Jagdeo and the leader of the opposition, Robert Corbin, bringing to an end the political impasse between the two major political parties, which had existed for almost a year.

2004 An enquiry was begun into allegations made against the minister of home affairs, Ronald Gajraj, that he is linked to a death squad accused of killing hundreds of people.

2005 Severe flooding in January affected half the country's population.

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