Belize

parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1981 (from UK)

Belize as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 106 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

235,789 people July 1999 est. · 219,737 in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.42% 1999 est. · 2.42% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

69.2 years 1999 est. · 67.85 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.74 children per woman 1999 est. · 4.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

31.57 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 35 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,000 1998 est. · $1,635 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

0.5% 1998 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;
Hurricane Mitch damage

Environment--international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertication, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, 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

235,789

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 2.42% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

30.22Death

5.39Net migration

-0.67

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)69.2

67.23 · 71.26

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:: 42% (male 49,991; female 48,074)
15-64 years:: 55% (male 65,507; female 63,796)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 4,129; female 4,292) (1999 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 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

31.57 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Belizean(s)
adjective:: Belizean

Languages

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

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993); Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 2 August 1998)

19 fields

Legislature, 29 seatsone dot, one seat

-PUP 26UDP 3

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 (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993)
head of government:: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 2 August 1998); 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 monarch is hereditary;
governor general appointed by the monarch;
prime minister appointed by the governor general

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (eight 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 1 August 1998 (next to be held NA August 2003)
election results:: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PUP 26, UDP 3

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 GOLDSON]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Society for the Promotion 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 Schofield MURPHY
chancery:: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general:: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Carolyn CURIEL
embassy:: Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City
mailing address:: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025

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 greater | importance.

31 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$3,000

purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)

Real growth rate

0.5%

(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 0.2% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

-0.5%

(1998 est.)

Unemployment rate

13%

(1997 est.)

GDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 22%industry 22%services 56% (1997 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

45%

52%

30%

Mexico

13%

Canada

Exports $95.3 million (f.o.b., 1998)Imports $149.7 million (c.i.f., 1998)(1997)

Budget

Revenues

$140 millionExpenditures

$142 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY97/98 est.)

Electricity

fossil fuel 100%hydro 0% · nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

145 million (1996)Electricity consumption

145 million (1996)

Economy--overview

The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer.

The government's tough austerity program in 1997 resulted in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The new government faces important challenges to economic stability. Rapid action to improve tax collection has been promised, but a lack of progress in reigning in spending could bring the exchange rate under pressure.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$700 million (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force

71,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.)

Labor force--by occupation

agriculture 30%, services 16%, government 15.4%, commerce 11.2%, manufacturing 10.3%

Industries

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction

Agriculture--products

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

Exports

$95.3 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities

sugar 46%, bananas 26%, citrus fruits, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood

Imports

$149.7 million (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports--commodities

machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

Debt--external

$288 million (1996)

Economic aid--recipient

$23.4 million (1995)

Currency

1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1--2.0000 (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 1 (Voice of America relay station), FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

Television broadcast stations

2 (1997)

Televisions

27,048 (1993 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Merchant marine, 403 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,740,325 GRT/2,511,709 DWT

bulk 34cargo 259chemical tanker 5container 9liquefied gas tanker 1oil tanker 58passenger-cargo 2refrigerated cargo 21roll-on/roll-off cargo 8short-sea/passenger 3specialized tanker 2vehicle carrier 1note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 7 countries: Cuba 2, Cyprus 1, Greece 1, Singapore 2, UAE 12, UK 1, and US 1 (1998 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10

Networkskm

Highways

2,248Railways

Highways: paved: 427 km · unpaved: 1,821 km (1996 est.)