efense Forces

Branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army,
Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 251,636; males fit for military
service 143,694 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $9 million, 4.5% of
GDP (1994)

________________________________________________________________________

GUYANA

@Guyana:Geography

Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Suriname and Venezuela

Map references: South America

Area:
total area: 214,970 sq km
land area: 196,850 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Idaho

Land boundaries: total 2,462 km, Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km,
Venezuela 743 km

Coastline: 459 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental
margin
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: all of the area west of the Essequibo River
claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper
Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the
Courantyne)

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two
rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)

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

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

Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 83%
other: 8%

Irrigated land: 1,300 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: water pollution from sewage and agricultural and
industrial chemicals; deforestation
natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat during rainy
seasons
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical
Timber 83

@Guyana:People

Population: 723,774 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (female 118,515; male 123,048)
15-64 years: 62% (female 224,484; male 225,543)
65 years and over: 5% (female 17,540; male 14,644) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.81% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 19.41 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -20.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 47.7 deaths/1,000