(GCIO); Civil Liberties Action Committee (CLAC);
the latter two organizations are small and active but not well
organized; Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) includes
various labor groups, as well as several of the smaller political
parties

_#_Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Cedric Hilburn GRANT;
Chancery at 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
265-6900; there is a Guyanese Consulate General in New York;

US--Ambassador George JONES; Embassy at 31 Main Street,
Georgetown; telephone [592] (02) 54900 through 54909

_#_Flag: 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

_*_Economy
_#_Overview: After growing on average at less than 1% a year in
1986-87, GDP dropped by 3% a year in 1988-89. The decline resulted from
bad weather, labor trouble in the canefields, and flooding and equipment
problems in the bauxite industry. Consumer prices rose about 35% in 1988
and by over 100% in 1989, and the current account deficit widened
substantially as sugar and bauxite exports fell. Moreover, electric
power is in short supply and constitutes a major barrier to future gains
in national output. The government, in association with international
financial agencies, seeks to reduce its payment arrears and to raise new
funds. The government's stabilization program--aimed at establishing
realistic exchange rates, reasonable price stability, and a resumption of
growth--requires considerable public administrative abilities and
continued patience by consumers during a long incubation period.

_#_GDP: $287.2 million, per capita $380; real growth rate - 3.3%
(1989)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 105% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: 12-15% (1991 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $65 million; expenditures $129 million, including
capital expenditures of $6 million (1989 est.)

_#_Exports: $234 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.);

commodities--bauxite, sugar, gold, rice, shrimp, molasses, timber,
rum;

partners--UK 31%, US 23%, CARICOM 7%, Canada 6% (1988)

_#_Imports: $319 million (c.i.f., 1