| Country name | conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana etymology: the name is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that included British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana; ultimately the word is derived from an indigenous Amerindian language and means "Land of Many Waters" (referring to the area's multitude of rivers and streams) |
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | name: Georgetown geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 09 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: when the British took possession of the town from the Dutch in 1812, they renamed it Georgetown in honor of King George III (1738-1820) |
| Administrative divisions | 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo |
| Independence | 26 May 1966 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Republic Day, 23 February (1970) |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest promulgated 6 October 1980 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, such as national sovereignty, government structure and powers, and constitutional amendment procedures, requires approval by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum, and assent of the president; other amendments only require Assembly approval; amended many times, last in 2016 |
| Legal system | common law system, based on the English model, with some Roman-Dutch civil law influence |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: na |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Mohammed Irfaan ALI (since 2 August 2020); First Vice President Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020); Vice President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 2 August 2020); Prime Minister Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mohammed Irfaan ALI (since 2 August 2020); First Vice President Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020); Vice President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 2 August 2020) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly elections/appointments: the predesignated candidate of the winning party in the last National Assembly election becomes president for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 2 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister appointed by the president election results: 2020: Mohammed Irfaan ALI (PPP/C) designated president by the majority party in the National Assembly 2015: David GRANGER (APNU-AFC) designated president by the majority party in the National Assembly |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; 40 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency and 25 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - all by closed-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 2 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 50.69%, APNU-AFC 47.34%, LJP 0.58%, ANUG 0.5%, TNM 0.05%, other 0.84%; seats by party - PPP/C 33, APNU-AFC 31, LJP-ANUG-TNM 1; composition - men 43, women 22, percent of women 33.8%; note - the initial results were declared invalid and a partial recount was conducted from 6 May to 8 June 2020, in which PPP/C was declared the winner |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with a chief justice and 3 justices, and the High Court with a chief justice and 10 justices organized into 3- or 5-judge panels); note - in 2009, Guyana acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal in civil and criminal cases, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court chief justices appointed by the president; other judges of both courts appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a body appointed by the president; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: Land Court; magistrates' courts |
| Political parties and leaders | A New and United Guyana or ANUG [Ralph RAMKARRAN] A Partnership for National Unity or APNU [David A. GRANGER] Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN] Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA] Liberty and Justice Party or LJP [Lenox SHUMAN] National Independent Party or NIP [Saphier Husain SUBEDAR] People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO] The New Movement or TNM [joint leadership of several medical doctors] The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR] United Republican Party or URP [Vishnu BANDHU] |
| International organization participation | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel Archibald HINDS (since 7 July 2021) chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 email address and website: guyanaembassydc@verizon.net http://www.guyanaembassyusa.org/ consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Sarah-Ann LYNCH (since 13 March 2019) embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170 telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497 email address and website: acsgeorge@state.gov https://gy.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | green with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green; green represents forest and foliage; yellow stands for mineral resources and a bright future; white symbolizes Guyana's rivers; red signifies zeal and the sacrifice of the people; black indicates perseverance; also referred to by its nickname The Golden Arrowhead |
| National symbol(s) | Canje pheasant (hoatzin), jaguar, Victoria Regia water lily; national colors: red, yellow, green, black, white |
| National anthem | name: Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains lyrics/music: Archibald Leonard LUKERL/Robert Cyril Gladstone POTTER note: adopted 1966 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
