Belize

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

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

total:

0.15 cu km/yr (7%/73%/20%)

per capita:

556 cu m/yr (2000)

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

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

noun:

Belizean(s)

adjective:

Belizean

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:

0.91 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease:

leptospirosis (2009)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Belize

former:

British Honduras

name:

Belmopan

geographic coordinates:

17 15 N, 88 46 W

time difference:

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Dean Oliver BARROW (since 8 February 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar VEGA (since 12 February 2008)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from the General Assembly; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor general appointed by the monarch;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general;
• prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

• Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister);
• Court of Appeal;
• Privy Council in the UK;
• member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ);
• Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil jurisdiction)

• National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR;
• National Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK];
• People's National Party or PNP [Wil MAHEIA];
• People's United Party or PUP [John BRICENO];
• United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW];
• Vision Inspired by the People or VIP [Paul MORGAN];
• We the People Reform Movement or WTP [Hipolito BAUTISTA]

• Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Nicole HAYLOCK];
• Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David VASQUEZ];
• National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene GOMEZ]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nestor MENDEZ

chancery:

2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-9636

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-6888

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles

chief of mission:

Ambassador Vinai THUMMALAPALLY

embassy:

Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District

mailing address:

P.O. Box 497, Belmopan City, Cayo District, Belize

telephone:

[501] 822-4011

FAX:

[501] 822-4012

• 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 of 50 mahogany leaves;
• the colors are those of the two main political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP;
• various elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that led to British settlement of Belize

note: Belize's flag is the only national flag that depicts human beings; two British overseas territories, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands, also depict humans

name:

"Land of the Free"

lyrics/music:

Samuel Alfred HAYNES/Selwyn Walford YOUNG

note: adopted 1981; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)

agriculture:

10.2%

industry:

18.1%

services:

71.7% (2007)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar;
• fish, cultured shrimp;
• lumber

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

general assessment:

above-average system; trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity of 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 60 per 100 persons

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) (2008)

• 8 privately-owned TV stations;
• multi-channel cable TV provides access to foreign stations;
• about 25 radio stations broadcasting on roughly 50 different frequencies;
• state-run radio was privatized in 1998 (2007)

total:

3,007 km

country comparison to the world: 166

paved:

575 km

unpaved:

2,432 km (2006)

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• law allows for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient;
• conscription has never been implemented;
• volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2008)

males age 16-49:

81,284

females age 16-49:

79,185 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

59,431

females age 16-49:

57,221 (2010 est.)

male:

3,723

female:

3,584 (2010 est.)

• Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior;
• Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

• transshipment point for cocaine;
• small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption;
• offshore sector money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and other crimes (2008)