Introduction

Background:

Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban crime.

Geography

Location:

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

Geographic coordinates:

17 15 N, 88 45 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:

total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Coastline:

386 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)

Terrain:

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m

Natural resources:

arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 3.05%
permanent crops: 1.39%
other: 95.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

People

Population:

287,730 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)
15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.6 years
male: 19.5 years
female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.31% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:

28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:

5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 68.3 years
male: 66.43 years
female: 70.26 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups:

mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)

Languages:

English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 94.1%
female: 94.1% (2003 est.)

Government

Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

Belmopan

Administrative divisions:

6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

Independence:

21 September 1981 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

Constitution:

21 September 1981

Legal system:

English law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)

Political parties and leaders:

People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM]

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN
chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City
mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City
telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163
FAX: [501] 2-30802

Flag description:

blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland

Economy

Economy - overview:

In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in 1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.778 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$908 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$6,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 22.5%
industry: 23%
services: 54.5% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 27%
industry: 18%
services: 55% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

12.9% (2003)

Population below poverty line:

33% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

35.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $262 million
expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70 million (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments

Industries:

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction

Industrial production growth rate:

4.6% (1999)

Electricity - production:

120 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 59.9%
hydro: 40.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

111.6 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:

6,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:

NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Current account balance:

$-200.1 million (2005 est.)

Exports:

$349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood

Exports - partners:

US 36.6%, UK 26.4%, Jamaica 4.5% (2004)

Imports:

$622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

Imports - partners:

US 30.1%, Mexico 12%, Guatemala 7.4%, Cuba 7.2%, China 4.2%, Japan 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$90.45 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.362 billion (June 2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Currency (code):

Belizean dollar (BZD)

Currency code:

BZD

Exchange rates:

Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:

33,700 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

91,700 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

133,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1997)

Televisions:

41,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bz

Internet hosts:

3,846 (2005)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

35,000 (2005)

Transportation

Airports:

43 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 26 (2005)

Roadways:

total: 2,872 km
paved: 488 km
unpaved: 2,384 km (1999)

Waterways:

825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 302 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,040,813 GRT/1,398,275 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 29, cargo 218, chemical tanker 8, container 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 173 (Belgium 1, China 71, Cyprus 2, Estonia 5, Germany 3, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, Indonesia 2, Italy 4, Japan 5, South Korea 5, Latvia 4, Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Pakistan 1, Poland 2, Russia 33, Singapore 4, Spain 2, Switzerland 2, Turkey 8, Ukraine 3, UAE 3, US 2) (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Belize City

Military

Military branches:

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 18-49: 61,201
females age 18-49: 60,048 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 18-49: 44,238
females age 18-49: 43,633 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:

males age 18-49: 3,213
females age 18-49: 3,100 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

$19 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

1.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:

Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002 failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial package

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector