Belize

parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1981 (from UK)

Belize as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBelmopan

Position17 15 N, 88 45 W

Area22,960 sq km

LocationMiddle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between

Populationas each edition published it

224,663 people July 1997 est. · 219,737 in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.42% 1997 est. · 2.42% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.75 years 1997 est. · 67.85 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.99 children per woman 1997 est. · 4.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

33.2 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 35 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$2,960 1996 est. · $1,635 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3% 1996 est. · 10% in 1993

Geography

Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between | Guatemala and Mexico

18 fields

Land useshare of 22,960 sq km

arable land 2%permanent crops 1%permanent pastures 2%forests and woodland 92%other 3% (1993 est.)irrigated 20 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

22,960sq km

land: 22,800 sq kmwater: 160 sq kmslightly smaller than Massachusetts

Coastline

386km

Highest point

1,160m

Victoria Peaklowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

516km

border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Location

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

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone:: 200 nm
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 the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala

Climate

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

Terrain

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Natural hazards

frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

Environment - current issues

deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to Belmopan because of hurricanes;
only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

People

15 fields

Population

224,663

(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 2.42% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth

31.91Death

5.61Net migration

-2.12

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)68.75

66.8 · 70.81

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1991 est.)70.3%

70.3% · 70.3%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 14 and over has ever attended school note : other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75%

Ethnic groups

mestizo 44%Creole 30%Maya 11%Garifuna 7%other 8%

Religions(1980)

Roman Catholic 62%Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%)none 2%other 6% (1980)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 43% (male 48,921; female 47,057)
15-64 years:: 54% (male 61,133; female 59,466)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 3,965; female 4,121) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population:: 1.03 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

33.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Belizean(s)
adjective:: Belizean

Languages

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

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993)

21 fields

Legislature, 28 seatsone dot, one seat

PUP 13UDP 15

Country name

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

Administrative divisions

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

Executive branch

chief of state:: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993)
head of government :: Prime Minister Manuel ESQUIVEL (since July 1993); Deputy Prime Minister Dean BARROW (since NA July 1993)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections:: none;
the queen is a hereditary monarch;
governor general appointed by the queen;
prime minister appointed by the governor general

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (8 members; members are appointed for five-year terms, five on the advice of the prime minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one after consultation with the Belize Advisory Council - this council serves as an independent body to advise the governor general with respect to difficult decisions such as granting pardons, commutations, stays of execution, the removal of justices of appeal who appear to be incompetent, etc.) and the National Assembly (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:: National Assembly - last held 30 June 1993 (next to be held no later than September 1998)
election results:: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUP 13, UDP 15, NABR 1

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA];
United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW];
National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR [Philip GOLDSON]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Assad SHOMAN]; United Workers Front

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador James S. MURPHY
chancery:: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 332-9636

FAX

[1] (202) 332-6888

consulate(s) general:: Los Angeles
consulate(s):: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador George Charles BRUNO
embassy :: Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City
mailing address:: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025
telephone:: [501] (2) 77161 through 77163

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

The small, essentially private enterprise economy | is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and | merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming increasing | importance.

22 fields

Real growth rate

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 3.7% (1990)

Inflation, consumer prices

6.4%

(1996 est.)

Unemployment rate

15%

(1996 est.)

Labor force

51,500

by occupation: agriculture 30%, services 16%, government 15.4%, commerce 11.2%, manufacturing 10.3%note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1985)

GDP - composition by sector(1995 est.)

agriculture 20%industry 27%services 53% (1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$140 millionExpenditures

$180 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of NA (FY96/97 est.)

Economy - overview

The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming increasing importance. Agriculture accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides 75% of export earnings, while sugar, the chief crop, accounts for almost 40% of hard currency earnings. The US, Belize's main trading partner, is assisting in efforts to reduce dependency on sugar with an agricultural diversification program.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $649 million (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,960 (1996 est.)

Industries

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction

Electricity - capacity

34,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption per capita

NA kWh

Agriculture - products

bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane;
lumber;
fish, cultured shrimp

Exports

total value:: $204 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: sugar, citrus fruits, bananas, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
partners :: US 38%, UK, other EU (1994)

Imports

total value:: $264 million (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities:: machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
partners :: US 53%, UK, other EU, Mexico (1994)

Debt - external

$192 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient : ODA, $NA

Currency

1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1 - 2.00 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

29,000

(1996 est.)

Telephone system

above-average system

domestic:: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international :: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 8, shortwave 1

Radios

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

27,048 (1993 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Merchant marine, 166 ships by type(1996 est.)

bulk 17cargo 117chemical tanker 1combination bulk 1container 6liquefied gas tanker 1oil tanker 13passenger-cargo 1refrigerated cargo 4roll-on/roll-off cargo 3specialized tanker 1vehicle carrier 1

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

total : 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Networkskm

Highways

2,770Railways

Highways: paved: 521 km · unpaved : 2,249 km (1995 est.)