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)

agricultural land:

6.9%;

• arable land 3.3%;
• permanent crops 1.4%;
• permanent pasture 2.2%

forest:

60.6%

other:

32.5% (2011 est.)

total:

0.22 cu km/yr (4%/49%/46%)

per capita:

845.2 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

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.89 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria (2013)

total number:

27,751

percentage:

40% (2001 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Belize

former:

British Honduras

etymology:

may be named after the Belize River, whose name possibly derives from the Maya word "belix," meaning "muddy-watered"

name:

Belmopan

geographic coordinates:

17 15 N, 88 46 W

time difference:

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

• previous 1954, 1963 (preindependence);
• latest signed and entered into force 21 September 1981;
• amended several times, last in 2012 (2015)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

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 among members of the National Assembly

elections/appointments:

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

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with the court president and 3 justices, and the Supreme Court with the chief justice and 2 judges);
• in 2005, Belize ceased final appeals in civil and criminal cases to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London), replacing it with the Caribbean Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the Caribbean Community

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal president and justices appointed by the governor general upon advice of the prime minister after consultation with the National Assembly opposition leader;
• justices' tenures vary by terms of appointment;
• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor-general upon the advice of the prime minister and the National Assembly opposition leader;
• other judges appointed by the governor-general upon the advice of the Judicial and Legal Services Section of the Public Services Commission and with the concurrence of the prime minister after consultation with the National Assembly opposition leader;
• judges can be appointed beyond age 65 but must retire by age 75;
• in 2013, the Supreme Court chief justice overturned a constitutional amendment that had restricted Court of Appeal judge appointments to as short as 1 year

subordinate courts:

Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil)

• Belize Progressive Party or BPP [Patrick ROGERS] (formed in 2015 from a merger of the People's National Party, elements of the VIP, and other smaller political groups)
• People's United Party or PUP [vacant]
• United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean Oliver BARROW]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Patrick ANDREWS (since 17 September 2015)

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 Carlos Roberto MORENO (since 24 June 2014)

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)

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

agriculture:

10.2%

industry:

18.1%

services:

71.7% (2007)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• 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 slightly less than 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 70 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) (2011)

• 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:

2,870 km

paved:

488 km

unpaved:

2,382 km (2011)

country comparison to the world: 170

• 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;
• initial service obligation 12 years (2012)

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 the Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior;
• both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, but this vote was suspended indefinitely;
• Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

current situation:

• Belize is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• the coerced prostitution of women and children by family members has not led to arrests;
• child sex tourism, involving primarily US citizens, is on the rise;
• sex trafficking and forced labor of Belizean and foreign women and LGBT individuals occurs in bars, nightclubs, brothels, and domestic service;
• workers from Central America, Mexico, and Asia may fall victim to forced labor in restaurants, shops, agriculture, and fishing

tier rating:

• Tier 3 – Belize does not comply fully with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• authorities did not initiate any new trafficking investigations of prosecutions, and cases from previous years remain pending;
• law enforcement efforts to use informal means to identify and refer victims were ineffective and draft procedures for referring victims to services are still not finalized;
• trafficking victims were more commonly arrested, detained, or deported based on immigration violations than provided with assistance;
• the government did not make progress in implementing the 2012-2014 anti-trafficking national strategic plan (2015)

• 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)