Guyana, which is to hold elections on Monday, is the only Latin American country where English is the official language, with a population divided for the most part along ethnic lines that stretch back to Africa or India.Officially known as the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, most people also speak Guyanese Creole and the country shares cultural and historical bonds with Anglophone nations in the Caribbean.
Originally populated by Amerindian tribes, it was first settled by the Dutch in 1581 before becoming British Guiana in 1814.
Guyana achieved independence on May 26, 1966 and officially became a republic on February 23, 1970.
Roughly three-quarters of its population are descended from African slaves or indentured laborers from India and they make up the two biggest political parties.
They are the incumbent People`s Progressive Party-Civic (PPPC), which has a strong Indian majority, and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), comprised mainly of those of African descent.Wedged between Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname on the northeastern shoulder of South America, Guyana covers 215,000 square kilometers (83,000 square miles), making it a bit smaller than Laos or Romania.
Substantial portions of its mineral-rich territory, which is criss-crossed by several major rivers, are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname.
Guyana means "Land of Many Waters" among indigenous Indians.The country is home to about 750,000 people, of which 43 percent are of Indian origin, and 30 percent of African origin.
The principle religion is Hinduism (about 29 percent), followed by Pentecostal and other Protestant denominations.In November 2011 elections, President Donald Ramotar`s PPPC party won 48.6 percent of the vote. The PPPC has been the predominant party since 1992 but it lost its absolute majority in parliament in the 2011 vote.
Ramotar announced Monday`s poll in January after the opposition, which currently controls the 65-member National Assembly, refused to negotiate an end to his two-month parliamentary suspension.
Guyana is a Commonwealth nation, with a prime minister and government named by the president.Roughly 43 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, making it the third poorest country in South America.The country`s economy is based largely on agriculture, with rice and sugarcane key exports, and natural resources, including bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber and fishing.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $2.990 billion (2013 World Bank)
