Slightly more than one-half of the total population of Guyana is made up of East Indians, whose ancestors came from the Indian subcontinent. Another 43 percent of the people are of black African descent or of mixed background. Approximately 2 percent are Native Americans. In addition, small numbers of Europeans and Chinese live in Guyana. About 90 percent of the people live along the coast, and 62 percent are classified as rural.
Christianity and Hinduism are the dominant religions in Guyana. Data from a 2002 census on religious affiliation indicates that approximately 57 percent of the population is Christian. The composition of that population is:
Politics of Guyana takes place in a framework of a representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Guyana is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly of Guyana. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.