Guyana

Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.
==Economical characteristics==
* Currency: Guyanese dollar (ISO code: GYD)
* Central bank discount rate: 6.75% (31 December 2008)
* Commercial banks lending rate: 14.58% (31 December 2008)
* Stock of money (M1): $344.2 million (31 December 2008)
* Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $817.6 million (31 December 2008)
===Statistics===
Statistic / Year 	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007 	2008
GDP (million USD)World Bank. "Guyana: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28. 	695 	713 	696 	722 	742 	786 	825 	915 	1 074	1 155
Govt. debt (% of GDP)World Bank. "Guyana: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)World Bank. "Guyana: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)World Bank. "Guyana: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Debt to revenue (years) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==References==
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
==External links==
* Guyana on Wikipedia
* Central bank of Guyana
* Studies from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
* BBC country profile
Category:Countries