Map of Belize | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment growing involvement in the South American drug trade and increased urban crime.


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Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 22,960 km²
Land: 22,800 km²
Water: 160 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries
Total: 516 km
Border countries: (2) Guatemala 266 km; , Mexico 250 km

Coastline: 386 km

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m

Natural resources: arable land: potential, timber, fish

Land use
Arable land: 2%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 2%
Forests and woodland: 92%
Other: 3% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

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


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Population: 224,663 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 2.42% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Belizean(s)
Adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups: mestizo 44%, Creole 30%, Maya 11%, Garifuna 7%, other 8%

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

Religions: 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)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 48,921; female 47,057)
15-64 years: 54% (male 61,133; female 59,466)
65 years and over: 3% (male 3,965; female 4,121) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.42% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 31.91 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.61 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.12 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff

Air pollutants

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 (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 33.2 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.75 years
Male: 66.8 years
Female: 70.81 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.99 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 14 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 70.3%
Male: 70.3%
Female: 70.3% (1991 est.)
Note: other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Belize
Former: British Honduras

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Belmopan

Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

Dependent areas

Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

Constitution: 21 September 1981

Legal system: English law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister Manuel ESQUIVEL (since July 1993); 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 queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen; prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (8 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 30 June 1993 (next to be held no later than September 1998)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUP 13, UDP 15, NABR 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister

Political parties and leaders

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 S. MURPHY
In the us chancery: 2,535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-9,636
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-6,888
In the us consulates general: Los Angeles
In the us consulates: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador George Charles BRUNO
From the us embassy: Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7,401, APO AA 34,025
From the us telephone: [501] (2) 77,161 through 77,163
From the us FAX: [501] (2) 30,802

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming increasing importance. Agriculture accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides 75% of export earnings, while sugar, the chief crop, accounts for almost 40% of hard currency earnings. The US, Belize's main trading partner, is assisting in efforts to reduce dependency on sugar with an agricultural diversification program.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,960 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20%
Industry: 27%
Services: 53% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp

Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism, construction

Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (1990)

Labor force
Total: 51,500
By occupation agriculture: 30%
By occupation services: 16%
By occupation government: 15.4%
By occupation commerce: 11.2%
By occupation manufacturing: 10.3%
Note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1985)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $140 million
Expenditures: $180 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY96/97 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $204 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodities: sugar, citrus fruits, bananas, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Partners: US 38%, UK, other EU (1994)

Imports
Total value: $264 million (c.i.f., 1996)
Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
Partners: US 53%, UK, other EU, Mexico (1994)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $192 million (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1 - 2.00 (fixed rate)


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Electricity
Capacity: 34,000 kW (1995)
Production: NA kWh
Consumption per capita: NA kWh

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 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)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $8.1 million (FY95/96)
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 35 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 25
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 24 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 10
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable

Merchant marine
Total: 166 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,592,846 GRT/1,087,555 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 17, cargo 117, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 6, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 13, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: border with Guatemala in dispute; talks to resolve the dispute are ongoing

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center