t trade winds;
two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)

Terrain: mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in
south

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m

Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp,
fish

Land use: arable land: 2%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 6%

forests and woodland: 84%

other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,300 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat during rainy
seasons

Environment - current issues: water pollution from sewage and
agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Guyana People

Population: 697,181

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.19% (male 100,194; female 96,309)

15-64 years: 66.89% (male 234,976; female 231,360)

65 years and over: 4.92% (male 15,324; female 19,018) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.07% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 17.92 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 38.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.31 years

male: 60.52 years

female: 66.24 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 900 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Guyane