263 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
263 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
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GUYANA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 214,970 km2; land area: 196,850 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Idaho
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Land boundaries: 2,462 km total; Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km,
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Venezuela 743 km
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Coastline: 459 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: all of the area west of the Essequibo river claimed by
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Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper Courantyne) and
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Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne)
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Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds;
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two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)
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Terrain: mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in
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south
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Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber,
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shrimp, fish
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Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 6%; forest and woodland 83%; other 8%; includes irrigated 1%
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Environment: flash floods a constant threat during rainy seasons;
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water pollution
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PEOPLE
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Population: 749,508 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 20 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 51 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 68 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Guyanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Guyanese
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Ethnic divisions: East Indian 51%, black and mixed 43%, Amerindian
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4%, European and Chinese 2%
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Religion: Christian 57%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%, other 1%
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Language: English, Amerindian dialects
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Literacy: 95% (male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over having ever
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attended school (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 268,000; industry and commerce 44.5%, agriculture
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33.8%, services 21.7%; public-sector employment amounts to 60-80%
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of the total labor force (1985)
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Organized labor: 34% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Co-operative Republic of Guyana
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Type: republic
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Capital: Georgetown
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Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Barima-Waini,
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Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo
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Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam,
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Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
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Independence: 26 May 1966 (from UK; formerly British Guiana)
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Constitution: 6 October 1980
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Legal system: based on English common law with certain admixtures
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of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
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Executive branch: executive president, first vice president,
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prime minister, first deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Executive President Hugh Desmond HOYTE (since 6
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August 1985); First Vice President Hamilton GREEN (since 6 August 1985);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Hamilton GREEN (since
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NA August 1985)
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's National Congress (PNC), Hugh Desmond HOYTE;
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People's Progressive Party (PPP), Cheddi JAGAN;
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Working People's Alliance (WPA), Eusi KWAYANA, Rupert ROOPNARINE, Moses
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BHAGWAN;
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Democratic Labor Movement (DLM), Paul TENNASSEE;
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People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Llewellyn JOHN;
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National Democratic Front (NDF), Joseph BACCHUS;
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United Force (UF), Marcellus Feilden SINGH;
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United Republican Party (URP), Leslie RAMSAMMY;
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National Republican Party (NRP), Robert GANGADEEN
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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Executive President--last held on 9 December 1985 (next to be
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held mid-1991); Hugh Desmond HOYTE was elected president (the
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leader of the party with the most votes in the National Assembly
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elections);
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National Assembly--last held on 9 December 1985 (next to be held
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mid-1991);
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results--PNC 78%, PPP 16%, UF 4%, WPA 2%;
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seats--(65 total, 53 elected) PNC 42, PPP 8, UF 2, WPA 1
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Communists: 100 (est.) hardcore within PPP; top echelons of PPP
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and PYO (Progressive Youth Organization, militant wing of the PPP)
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include many Communists; small but unknown number of orthodox
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Marxist-Leninists within PNC, some of whom formerly belonged to the PPP
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Other political or pressure groups: Trades Union Congress (TUC);
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Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) includes various labor
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groups as well as several of the smaller parties; Guyana Council of
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Indian Organizations (GCIO); Civil Liberties Action Committee (CLAC);
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the latter two organizations are small and active but not well
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organized; Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) includes
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various labor groups, as well as several of the smaller political
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parties
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Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB,
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IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
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LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
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WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Cedric Hilburn GRANT;
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Chancery at 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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265-6900; there is a Guyanese Consulate General in New York;
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US--Ambassador George JONES; Embassy at 31 Main Street,
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Georgetown; telephone 592 (02) 54900 through 54909
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Flag: green with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
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superimposed on a long yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow black border
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between the red and yellow, and a narrow white border between the yellow
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and the green
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ECONOMY
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Overview: After growing on average at less than 1% a year in
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1986-87, GDP dropped by 3% a year in 1988-89. The decline resulted from
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bad weather, labor trouble in the canefields, and flooding and equipment
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problems in the bauxite industry. Consumer prices rose about 35% in 1988
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and by over 100% in 1989, and the current account deficit widened
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substantially as sugar and bauxite exports fell. Moreover, electric
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power is in short supply and constitutes a major barrier to future gains
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in national output. The government, in association with international
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financial agencies, seeks to reduce its payment arrears and to raise new
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funds. The government's stabilization program--aimed at establishing
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realistic exchange rates, reasonable price stability, and a resumption of
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growth--requires considerable public administrative abilities and
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continued patience by consumers during a long incubation period.
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GDP: $287.2 million, per capita $380; real growth rate - 3.3%
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(1989)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 105% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: 12-15% (1991 est.)
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Budget: revenues $65 million; expenditures $129 million, including
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capital expenditures of $6 million (1989 est.)
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Exports: $234 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.);
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commodities--bauxite, sugar, gold, rice, shrimp, molasses, timber,
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rum;
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partners--UK 31%, US 23%, CARICOM 7%, Canada 6% (1988)
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Imports: $319 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.);
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commodities--manufactures machinery, food, petroleum;
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partners--US 33%, CARICOM 10%, UK 9%, Canada 2% (1989)
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External debt: $1.7 billion, including arrears (December 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 10.0% (1989 est.); accounts
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for more than 20% of GDP
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Electricity: 250,000 kW capacity; 635 million kWh produced,
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830 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: bauxite mining, sugar, rice milling, timber, fishing
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(shrimp), textiles, gold mining
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Agriculture: most important sector, accounting for 27% of GDP and
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about 50% of exports; sugar and rice are key crops; development potential
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exists for fishing and forestry; not self-sufficient in food, especially
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wheat, vegetable oils, and animal products
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $116
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $244 million; Communist countries 1970-89, $242 million
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Currency: Guyanese dollar (plural--dollars);
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1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Guyanese dollars (G$) per US$1--45.00 (since June
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1990), 39.533 (1990), 27.159 (1989), 10.000 (1988), 9.756 (1987), 4.272
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(1986), 4.252 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 187 km total, all single track 0.914-meter gauge
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Highways: 7,665 km total; 550 km paved, 5,000 km gravel, 1,525 km
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earth, 590 km unimproved
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Inland waterways: 6,000 km total of navigable waterways; Berbice,
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Demerara, and Essequibo Rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for
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150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively
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Ports: Georgetown
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Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 58 total, 55 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; none with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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14 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: fair system with radio relay network; over
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27,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad; stations--4 AM,
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3 FM, no TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Coast Guard
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and Air Corps), Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana People's Militia (GPM),
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Guyana National Service (GNS)
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 195,142; 148,477 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $5.5 million, 6% of GDP (1989 est.)
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