Belize
parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Belize as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 120 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize 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
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
18 fieldsLand useshare of 22,966 sq 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
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
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)
Male · female
Religions(2000)
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.)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993); Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998)
18 fieldsLegislature, 29 seatsone dot, one seat
Capital
- name:
- Belmopan
- geographic coordinates:
- 17 15 N, 88 46 W
- time difference:
- UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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, IAEA, 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] 223-0802
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
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.
40 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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.
Imports - commodities
- machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods;
- fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
- food, beverages, tobacco
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Merchant marine
- total:
- 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT
- by type:
- bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
- foreign-owned:
- 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3, Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4, Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006)
Military
Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard
6 fieldsMilitary 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 reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 3,213
- females age 18-49:
- 3,100 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - 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
Trafficking in persons
- current situation:
- Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation;
- women and girls are trafficked mainly from Central America, and exploited in prostitution;
- children are trafficked to Belize for labor exploitation;
- Belize's largely unmonitored borders with Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico facilitate the movement of illegal migrants who are vulnerable to traffickers;
- girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, sometimes with the consent and complicity of their close relatives;
- there are unconfirmed reports that Indian and Chinese migrants are trafficked for involuntary servitude in homes and shops
- tier rating:
- Tier 3 - Belize has failed to show evidence of significant law enforcement or victim protection efforts
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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Belize.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/belize/2006.