Communications


The main roads of the country are in the coastal area and extend through the towns and villages which lie in a narrow band not far from the ocean. An important exception is the highway which runs from Soesdyke, 21 miles from the capital, Georgetown, to the bauxite mining town of Linden, a distance of 44 miles. A road from Georgetown runs south to Soesdyke continuing to Timehri International Airport, about 27 miles from Georgetown. The highway from Guyana to Brazil is close to completion and would give Guyana a connection to the road networks of the continent.

Telecommunications:
Telephones - main lines in use: 70,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,100 (2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling

domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines

international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)

Televisions: 46,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .gy

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2000)

Internet users: 3,000 (2000)



Railroads:
no public railroads; about 100 km of narrow gauge industrial railroads to transport minerals, including bauxite

Railways:
total: 187 km

standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge

note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001)

Highways:
total: 7,970 km

paved: 590 km

unpaved: 7,380 km (1996)

Waterways: 5,900 km (total length of navigable waterways)

note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively

Ports and harbors: Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,929 GRT/4,507 DWT

ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.)

Airports: 51 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 45

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 8

under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)

Rivers are a very important means of transportation particularly in the interior of Guyana.

Guyana is served mainly by the Port of Georgetown which is located at the mouth of the Demerara River. The channel of the Georgetown Port is 70 meters wide and is clearly marked. The depth of the water in the navigable section varies from 6.9 meters to 8.5 meters. Another important port is the port at the town of Linden on the Demerara River which serves as a transit point for bauxite products from the Demerara region.

Other main waterways used for coastal and river shipping are the Berbice, Canje, Corentyne, Essequibo, Pomeroon, and Waini rivers.