POPULATION:
620,000?
LITERACY RATE:
67%
SELF DEFENSE FORCES:
Guyana Police Forces
LANGUAGES:
  English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
ETHNIC GROUPS:
 East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7%
BORDERING COUNTRIES:
Suriname, Brazil, Venezuela
Guyana - Your typical third world hellhole, Guyana's government, if you can call it that, is powerless to stop the crime and chaos that has overwhelmed the country.  Guyana wasn't always so bad off, but after gaining independence from the British in 1966, immediately Venezuela reinstated its border claim of all wends west of the Essequibo river.  Both parties agreed to settle things peacefully in Geneva, but nothing was resolved, Venezuela going as far as to print their national maps showing the Guyanese lands as their own.  The border dispute remained a loose end until 2015.  Emboldened by their new found total independence, and the lack of western military presence, Venezuelan troops invaded Western Guyana, with no means to object, and no one to turn to for help, Guyana had no choice but to concede militarily.  Guyana still regularly petitions for aid, and is hoping the inevitable American Invasion forces will be able to at last bring some stability to the region. 

In the first and second South American Conflicts, Guyana was all but ignored by the US, even the Europeans and Russians, always eager to provide a black eye to the US could find no profit in intervention.  What natural resources and agricultural benefits Guyana does provide have long since been privatized by western compounds, heavily armed and guarded installations operating independently from any nation or government.  Guyana sold them the lands they built their sites on outright, hoping for the boost in economy from jobs.  But with the United Nations for all intents and purposes dissolved and powerless, there was no one to prevent the corporations, who were better armed and financed than the Guyanese govt. could ever hope to be, from "recruiting" the local population into forced labor camps, working for pennies.  Of course the corporations  are careful to provide them with food, clothing and shelter, even cable TV, as incentive, which they spin to prove they are a "positive influence in the third world economic landscape".

Outside of the corporate facilities, life in Guyana is truly a third world hell.  It boasts the highest murder rate in all of the Americas, including the caribbean islands.  It is a smugglers haven, and the ineffectual government is powerless to do anything about it.  After the first and second South American conflicts, it became a popular destination for refugees and war criminals.  American Mercenary companies, most often veterans of the South American conflicts, or African conflicts have moved into the region.  Rebel groups from Brazil often operate from the area, and the whole country has become somewhat of a dumping ground for South America. 

With so many unsavory characters, all fighting over pieces of turf, life in Guyana is often viewed as a necessary exercise in futility and desperation.  No one pays taxes, though most pay protection fees from whatever gang or group is in control of any given area.  There are no state run hospitals or medical facilities, though there are a number of illegal, unlicensed ripperdocs and snake charmers who will provide care for a hefty price.  Since very few in Guyana actually have any money, that trade can be as simple as providing a favor, or as insidious as providing limbs or organs for the international black market.  Religious and philanthropic groups used to do mission work here, but because of the violence and utter lack of protection such groups have all but disappeared.  Occasionally you come across some overly benevolent soul working independently, such as the Viegallo Mission in Georgetown, but they only last as long as it takes someone to decide they are worth killing.

On the plus side, because the region is so uncontrollably chaotic, it has become very difficult for any criminal operations to grow too large.  Guyana is the most unorganized den of villains imaginable, and anyone who does rise too high is soon made a target by his peers. 

Anything goes in Guyana, the only thing stopping you from shooting that ugly guy at the bar down in cold blood on the open street, is how many friends you think he might have.  Everything is for sale here, drugs, stolen technology, slaves, anything..... if someone, somewhere, will possibly pay money for it, then it can be found on the Guyanese black market.

Recently Chinese military advisers meeting with high placed Guyanese government officials, rumors abound that the Chinese are willing to intervene militarily in the country, though what they stand to gain in return is unknown.  This only further increases the level of paranoia in the region as yet another Super Power is on the verge of entering the theater, one with no clear alliances.

(Written by Deric "D" Bernier.)