Guyana’s population of over 756,000 is diverse; the three largest ethnic groups are the Indo-Guyanese (43.5%),
the Afro-Guyanese (30.2%), who constitute the majority urban population, and those of mixed origin (16.7%) who
live in the country’s interior and are divided into a number of different groups. More than 90% of the population lives
along the coastal strip;.and many inland areas are virtually uninhabited.

• Nationality: Noun and adjective-Guyanese (sing.  and pl.).
• Population: 756,000 (UN, 2011)
• Ethnic groups: East Indian origin 43%, African origin 30%, mixed 17%, Amerindian 9%.
• Religions: Christianity 57%, Hinduism 28%, Muslim 10%, other 5%.
• Languages: English, Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (primarily Carib and Arawak), Hindi, Urdu
• Education (2007): Years compulsory-ages 5-1/2 to 14-1/2.  Attendance-primary 93.6%, secondary 93%.  Literacy-98.8% of adults who have attended school.
• Health: Infant mortality rate-30/1,000.  Life expectancy-men 67 years, women 73 years
• Work force (2007 Bank of Guyana estimates): 333,900.  Industry and commerce-36.4%; agriculture-30.2%; services-30.2%; other-3.2%.

Guyana is a unitary republic with a unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly.

• Type: Republic within the Commonwealth.
• Independence: May 26, 1966; Republic, February 23, 1970.
• Constitution: 1980.
• Executive Branch: Executive-president (chief of state and head of government), prime minister. 
• Legislative Branch: unicameral National Assembly of 65 deputies.  The ten administrative regions of the country elect 25 members, 40 are elected from party lists by proportion of the national vote. 
• Judicial Branch: Judicial Court of Appeal, High Court.
• Subdivisions: 10 regions.
• Suffrage: Universal at 18.
• Membership of international groups/organisations including: CARICOM, WTO, OAS, ACS, UNASUR, ECLAC, United Nations, the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP group), the Commonwealth, the Group of 77, the Organisation of Islamic Conference, Non-Aligned Movement, the Rio Group.

The National Assembly has 65 members elected for a five-year period; 40 elected by proportional representation and 25 indirectly elected by regional assemblies.

• Election Type: Parliamentary
• Parliament name: National Assembly
• Structure of parliament: Unicameral
• Constituencies: 10 regions
• Voting system: Proportional Representation
• Last Parliamentary Election: 28 August 2006

The economy is based on agriculture and mining, notably of gold and bauxite; the main cash crops are sugar and rice.

• Nominal GDP: $999.4 million.
• Real annual growth rate: 2.3%.
• Per capita GDP (PPP): $3,800.
• Per capita GDP: $1,298.
• GNI per capita: US$2,900 (World Bank, 2011)
• Agriculture: Products-sugar, rice, shrimp, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables.
  Natural resources: Gold, bauxite, diamonds, timber.
• Industry: Types-mining (gold, bauxite, diamonds), agriculture (sugar, rice, livestock, fresh fruits and vegetables), forestry, fisheries, manufacturing (beverage, foodstuff processing, apparel, footwear assembly, pharmaceuticals), engineering and construction, and services (distribution, financial, transport and communication).
• Merchandise trade: Exports-$768.2 million: gold, sugar, rice, bauxite, timber, fish and shrimp, prepared food, diamonds, and molasses.  Major export markets- Canada, U.K., U.S., Ukraine, Jamaica, Netherlands, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Belgium.  Imports-$1.2 billion: fuel and lubricants, veterinary medicine, plant equipment, motor cars, iron and steel, electric power machines, cement and fertilizer.  Major suppliers-U.S., Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Suriname, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Finland, Canada, Netherlands.
• Monetary unit: 1 Guyanese dollar (G$) = 100 cents