Guyana Country Overview
Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state on mainland South America, and is its only English speaking country. 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". Guyana, with its capital Georgetown, primarily speaks English but includes several indigenous languages. Major religions are Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. With a population of 820,171, Guyana ranks as the 164th most populated country. It was colonised by the Dutch and British before gaining independence in 1966.
Guyana General Information:
Capital: Georgetown
Language: English (official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (including Caribbean and Arawak languages), Indian languages (including Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi), Chinese (2014 est.)
Religion: Protestant 34.8% (Pentecostal 22.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 5.2%, Methodist 1.4%), Hindu 24.8%, Roman Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 6.8%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, other Christian 20.8%, other 0.9%, none 3.1% (2012 est.)
Currency: Guyanese dollar
Cryptocurrency: In Guyana, cryptocurrency is still controversial and there is not yet any cryptocurrency regulation in place.
GMT: (-) 4 h
Most of the country is covered in tropical rainforest it has struggled to overcome poverty. About one-third of the Guyanese population lives below the poverty line; indigenous people are disproportionately affected.
About Guyana
Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, by Suriname to the east, by Brazil to the south and southwest, and by Venezuela to the west. Guyana is one of the only Caribbean nations that isn’t an island. English is the official language however, other indigenous languages include Creole, Hindi and Urdu.
The major religions in Guyana are Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. The current population of Guyana is 820,171 ranking Guyana as the 164th worlds populated country.
Guyana was colonized by the Netherlands and then became a British colony for more than 200 years before gaining independence in 1966. Guyana is involved in territorial disputes with both Suriname and Venezuela. In 2007 the United Nations international tribunal settled the border dispute between Guyana and Suriname. However, Suriname still claims territory over the New River Triangle. The currently recognized border between Suriname and Guyana along the Courantyne is also in contention—Suriname claims sovereignty over the entire river and thus views its west bank as the border, while Guyana claims that the deepest channel of the river, is the boundary.
The dispute between Guyana and Venezuela dates from 1895, when the British government claimed ownership of the Essequibo River basin. An 1899 settlement awarded Venezuela part of the area, but in 1962 Venezuela claimed the whole territory west of the Essequibo.
Guyana ranks 77th in the World Press Freedom Index. Guyana’s constitution guarantees free speech and the right to information, although officials often use various pieces of legislation including defamation laws, which provide for fines and up to two years in jail to silence opposition journalists. Until 2001 the government controlled nearly all local news media, radio, and the single daily newspaper, the Guyana Chronicle.
In July 2018 the cybercrime bill was passed into law which took into account amendments proposed by the RSF, regarding provisions that could have posed a threat to press freedom if used to penalize journalists for publishing reports deemed critical of the government or that are based on information from confidential sources. However, the bill remains imperfect as members of the media regulatory authority are appointed directly by the president. Journalists are still subjected to harassment that takes the form of prosecutions, suspensions, and intimidation.
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