Guyana

Origin

Guayanas es el nombre con que se conoce un extenso territorio de América del Sur, compredido entre el Océano Atlántico y los río Orinoco, Caciqueare, Negro y Amazonas. Esta zona descubierta y explorada por los españoles a principios del siglo XVI, se halla dividida en diversos países: una parte pertenece a Brasil y Venezuela y la otra se conoce como "las tres Guayanas", británica, holandesa y francesa atendiendo a las naciones colonizadoras. Al lograr la independencia de la metrópoli, la Guayana inglesa se denominó Guyana (1970).


Constitution

Type: Republic within the Commonwealth. Independence: May 26, 1966; Republic, February 23, 1970. Constitution: 1980 Branches: Executive--president (chief of state and head of government), prime minister. Legislative--unicameral National Assembly of 65 deputies. The ten administrative regions of the country elect 25 members, 40 are elected from party lists by proportion of the national vote. Judicial--Judicial Court of Appeal, High Court. Subdivisions: 10 regions. Political parties (voting seats in the National Assembly): People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) 34; People’s National Congress (PNC) 27; Guyana Action Party/Working People's Alliance (GAP/WPA) 2; Rise Organize and Rebuild (ROAR) 1; and The United Force (TUF) 1. Total seats: 65. Elections held March 19, 2001. Suffrage: Universal at 18.


Government

Legislative power rests in a unicameral National Assembly, with 40 members chosen on the basis of proportional representation from national lists named by the political parties. An additional 25 members are elected by regional administrative districts. The president may dissolve the assembly and call new elections at any time, but no later than 5 years from its first sitting. Executive authority is exercised by the president, who appoints and supervises the prime minister and other ministers. The president is not directly elected; each party presenting a slate of candidates for the assembly must designate in advance a leader who will become president if that party receives the largest number of votes. Any dissolution of the assembly and election of a new assembly can lead to a change in the assembly majority and consequently a change in the presidency. Most cabinet ministers must be members of the National Assembly; the constitution limits non-member “technocrat” ministers to five. In practice, most other ministers also are members. Technocrat ministers serve as non-elected members, which permits them to debate but not to vote. The highest judicial body is the Court of Appeal, headed by a chancellor of the judiciary. The second level is the High Court, presided over by a chief justice. The chancellor and the chief justice are appointed by the president. For administrative purposes, Guyana is divided into 10 regions, each headed by a chairman who presides over a regional democratic council. Local communities are administered by village or city councils.


General History

This country is located to the northeast of South America, in a privileged point of the Caribbean basin. By their numerous springs, waterfalls and rivers, natives call it "the Land of much water", characteristic that together with their rich forests and varied fauna make of Guyana a fantastic paradise for lovers of nature and adventure. Guyana catches the visitor with its monumental waterfall of Kaieteur, the legendary face of Georgetown, its enigmatic tropical forest and one of the more peculiar racial mixtures of the planet. It offers wonders like the waterfall of Kaieteur, one of the wonders of the continent, the waters of the Potaro river that wind the plateau of Pakaraima, soon to fall other 81 feet raising foam and fog that, struck by the sun rays, form an amazing rainbow. Among the destinations more known in the Caribbean coast, there is the city of Georgetown, in which it can be found several hotels, restaurants and sites of interest. The forests and a wide range of animals overwhelm the surroundings around Kaieteur, declared National Park, although there are other beautiful parks at the country. You can listen to the melancholic howls of "the singing" monkeys; the singing of the golden frogs and you can observe giant lizards, serpents and the fresh tracks of a wild tiger. The geography of Guyana gathers 276 cascades and a system of rivers and streams, some seem thin blue veins in the map but others are true monsters like the Essequibo.