Map of Belize | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | 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: 22,966 km²
Land: 22,806 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 November); dry season (February to May)

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 hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 2%
Forests and woodland: 84%
Other: 3% (2000 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: only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean


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Population: 256,062 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 2.7% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 33% (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Belizean
Adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups: mestizo 43.7% Creole 29.8% Maya 10% Garifuna 6.2% other 10.3%

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

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: 42.04% (male 54,876; female 52,780)
15-64 years: 54.43% (male 70,534; female 68,837)
65 years and over: 3.53% (male 4,403; female 4,632) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.7% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 31.69 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage industrial effluents agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 25.14 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.19 years
Male: 68.91 years
Female: 73.57 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.01% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,400 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 170 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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 (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 27 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; governor general appoints the member of the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority party to be prime minister

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Representatives - last held 27 August 1998 (next to be held by NA August 2003)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%; seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3

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 [Manuel ESQUIVEL Dean BARROW Doug SINGH]

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 ITU LAES NAM OAS OPANAL UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WHO WIPO WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN
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
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carolyn CURIEL
From the us embassy: 29 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
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 greater importance. Sugar the chief crop accounts for nearly half of exports while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. The government's tough austerity program in 1997 resulted in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit has been growing mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The tourist and construction sectors strengthened in early 1999 supporting growth of 6% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. Aided by international donors the government's key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18%
Industry: 24%
Services: 58% (2000 est.)

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

Industries: garment production food processing tourism construction

Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (1999)

Labor force
Note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 38%
By occupation industry: 32%
By occupation services: 30% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 12.8% (1999)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 33% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $157 million
Expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (2000 est.)

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: $235.7 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: sugar bananas citrus clothing fish products molasses wood
Partners: US 42% UK 33% EU 12% Caricom 4.8% Canada 2% Mexico 1% (1999)

Imports: $413 million (c.i.f. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment manufactured goods; food beverages tobacco; fuels chemicals pharmaceuticals
Partners: US 58% Mexico 12% UK 5% EU 5% Central America 5% Caricom 4% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $338 million (1998)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)


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Electricity
Production: 185 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 56.76%
Production by source hydro: 43.24%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 172.1 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 31,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 3,023 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: above-average system
Domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .bz
Service providers isps: 2 (2000)
Users: 12,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $17 million (FY98/99)
Percent of gdp: 2.4% (FY98/99)

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: 44 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 40
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 10
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

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

Merchant marine
Total: 402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Guatemala periodically asserts claims to territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting both states in 2000 agreed to a 'line of adjacency' based on the de facto boundary which is not recognized by Guatemala

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs