Belize
parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Belize as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 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 an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.
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, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)
Male · female
Religions(2000)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.041 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.024 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.929 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.027 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Languages
Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); 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 Vildo MARIN (since 5 June 2007)
- 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 seats; 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; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - number of seats will increase to 31 next election
- elections:
- House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held in 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
- National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR;
- National Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK];
- People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA];
- United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW];
- Vision Inspired by the People or VIP [Paul MORGAN];
- We the People Reform Movement [Hipolito BAUTISTA]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Gustavo PERERA];
- Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David VASQUEZ];
- National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene GOMEZ]
International organization participation
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, 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:
- Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District
- mailing address:
- 3050 Belize Place, Washington DC 20521-3050
- telephone:
- [501] 822-4011
- FAX:
- [501] 822-4012
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 tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments.
42 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of 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 4% in 1999-2006.
Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt. The government in 2006 announced it would seek a restructuring of its sovereign debt and has been negotiating with international creditors to find an acceptable formula for doing so. 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;
- fixed-line teledensity of 12 per 100 persons;
- mobile-cellular telephone density of about 40 per 100 persons
- domestic:
- trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
- international:
- country code - 501;
- landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
- satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2007)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Merchant marine
- total:
- 261 ships (1000 GRT or over) 940,852 GRT/1,275,111 DWT
- by type:
- barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 36, cargo 190, chemical tanker 5, container 5, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
- foreign-owned:
- 217 (China 107, Croatia 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 1, Hong Kong 5, Iceland 1, Italy 4, Japan 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 14, Norway 3, Peru 1, Philippines 1, Russia 39, Singapore 3, Spain 2, Turkey 11, Ukraine 10, UAE 4, US 3) (2007)
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
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and Caribbean Sea;
- the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region;
- Honduras claims Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays in its constitution but agreed to a joint ecological park under the Differendum
Illicit drugs
- transshipment point for cocaine;
- small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption;
- money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Belize.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/belize/2007.