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

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Background: 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 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden high unemployment growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade high crime rates and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.


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Location: Central America bordering the Caribbean Sea between Guatemala and Mexico

Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N 88 45 W

Map reference

Area
Rank: 152
Land: 22,806 km²
Water: 160 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries
Border countries: (2) Guatemala 266 km; Mexico 276 km

Coastline: 386 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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 highest point: Doyle's Delight 1160 m

Natural resources: arable land: potential timber fish hydropower

Land use
Permanent crops: 1.39%
Other: 95.34% (2011)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 18.55 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: frequent devastating hurricanes (June to November) 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: 340,844 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 178
Growth rate: 1.92% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 58
Below poverty line: 41% (2013 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7% Creole 24.9% Maya 10.6% Garifuna 6.1% other 9.7% (2000 census)

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)

Religions: Roman Catholic 39.3% Pentacostal 8.3% Seventh Day Adventist 5.3% Anglican 4.5% Mennonite 3.7% Baptist 3.5% Methodist 2.8% Nazarene 2.8% Jehovah's Witnesses 1.6% other 9.9% (includes Baha'i Faith Buddhism Hinduism Islam and Mormon) other (unknown) 3.1% none 15.2% (2010 census)

Demographic profile:

Age structure
15-24 years: 21% (male 36,432/female 35,093)
25-54 years: 35.5% (male 61,112/female 59,809)
55-64 years: 4.6% (male 7,719/female 7,807)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 5,848/female 6,544) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 53.3 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.4 %
Potential support ratio: 15.6 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 21.6 years
Female: 22 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.92% (2014 est.)
Rank: 58

Birth rate: 25.14 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 55

Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 166

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 98

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 1.54% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: BELMOPAN (capital) 14,000 (2011)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage industrial effluents agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
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: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 89
Male: 22.78 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 17.7 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 160
Male: 66.88 years
Female: 70.17 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.02 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 55

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 55.2% (2011)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.83 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 1.1 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.4% (2012 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 32
People living with hivaids: 3,100 (2012 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 132
Deaths: 100 (2012 est.)
Deaths rank: 126

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 33.7% (2008)
Rank: 15

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.2% (2011)
Rank: 81

Education expenditures: 6.6% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 29

Literacy
Total population: 76.9%
Male: 76.7%
Female: 77.1% (2000 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2012)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Belize
Former: British Honduras

Government type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N 88 46 W
Time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington DC during Standard Time)

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 21 September 1981 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 21 September (1981)

Constitution: previous 1954 1963 (preindependence); latest signed and entered into force 21 September 1981; amended several times last in 2012 (2013)

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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
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

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 (31 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: House of Representatives - last held on 8 March 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: percent of vote by party - UDP 50.4% PUP 47.5% other 2.1%; seats by party - UDP 17 PUP 14

Judicial branch: note - 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
Subordinate courts: Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil)

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AOSIS C Caricom CD CDB CELAC FAO G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ITU LAES MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA Petrocaribe SICA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
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 consulate general: Los Angeles
From the us embassy: Floral Park Road Belmopan City Cayo District
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 497 Belmopan City Cayo District Belize
From the us telephone: [501] 822-4,011
From the us FAX: [501] 822-4,012

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 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

National symbols: Baird's tapir (a large browsing forest-dwelling mammal); keel-billed toucan

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Samuel Alfred HAYNES/Selwyn Walford YOUNG

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner in this small economy 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 GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered this growth. Exploration efforts have continued and production has increased a small amount. Growth slipped to 0% in 2009 resulting from the global economic slowdown natural disasters and a temporary drop in the price of oil but grew to 2.5% in 2013. With weak economic growth and a large public debt burden fiscal spending is likely to be tight. In January 2013 the government announced that it had reached a deal with creditors to restructure its $544 million commercial external debt commonly referred to as the 'superbond.' The superbond represents one half of the country's public debt. A key government objective remains the reduction of poverty and inequality with the help of international donors. Although Belize has the second highest per capita income in Central America the average income figure masks a huge income disparity between rich and poor. The sizable trade deficit and heavy foreign debt burden continue to be major concerns.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 182

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 128

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 127

Gross national saving:
Rank: 26

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 16.8%
Investment in fixed capital: 31.2%
Investment in inventories: 1.2%
Exports of goods and services: 62.1%
Imports of goods and services: -90.6%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 23%
Services: 64% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas cacao citrus sugar; fish cultured shrimp; lumber

Industries: garment production food processing tourism construction oil

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2013 est.)
Rank: 173

Labor force: 120,500
Rank: 180
By occupation industry: 18.1%
By occupation services: 71.7% (2007)

Unemployment rate: 11.3% (2012)
Rank: 141

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 41% (2013 est.)

Gini index

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

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Expenditures: $352.4 million (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 3.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 13

Taxes and other revenues: 25.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 127

Public debt: 84.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 34

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.3% (2012 est.)
Rank: 38

Central bank discount rate: 12% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 16

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 12.4% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 61

Stock of narrow money: $551.5 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 158

Stock of broad money: $1.222 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 162

Stock of domestic credit: $1 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 151

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$28 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 64

Exports: $628.3 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 170
Commodities: sugar bananas citrus clothing fish products molasses wood crude oil
Partners: US 31.8% UK 21.9% Nigeria 4.8% Japan 4.1% Netherlands 4.1% (2012)

Imports: $837.1 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 182
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods; fuels chemicals pharmaceuticals; food beverages tobacco
Partners: US 23.6% Germany 15% Mexico 11.5% Cuba 8.4% Guatemala 4.8% China 4.7% Singapore 4% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $288.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 157

Debt external: $1.033 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 161

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 524.2 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 161
Consumption: 630 million kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 165
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 106
Imports: 171 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 88
Installed generating capacity: 178,100 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 161
Generation sources fossil fuels: 51.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 153
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 49
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 32% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 71
Generation sources other renewable sources: 16.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 10

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 3,239 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 102
Crude oil exports: 4,345 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 65
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 160
Crude oil proven reserves: 6.7 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 94

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 123
Products consumption: 7,044 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 161
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 153
Products imports: 3,493 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 166

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 104
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 122
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 66
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 161
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 115

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 536,300 Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 25,400 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 180
Mobile cellular: 164,200 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 184

Telephone system
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)

Broadcast media: 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)

Internet
Country code: .bz
Hosts: 3,392 (2012)
Hosts rank: 152
Users: 36,000 (2009)
Users rank: 178

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces

Military 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; initial service obligation 12 years (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 47 (2013)
Rank: 92
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways: 29 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 169
Paved: 488 km
Unpaved: 2,382 km (2011)

Waterways: 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2011)
Rank: 71

Merchant marine
Rank: 33
By type: barge carrier 1 bulk carrier 33 cargo 156 chemical tanker 2 liquefied gas 1 passenger/cargo 4 petroleum tanker 9 refrigerated cargo 30 roll on/roll off 10 specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 152 (Bulgaria 1 China 61 Croatia 1 Estonia 1 Greece 2 Iceland 1 Italy 3 Latvia 9 Lithuania 1 Netherlands 1 Norway 2 Russia 30 Singapore 4 Switzerland 1 Syria 4 Thailand 1 Turkey 16 UAE 3 UK 4 Ukraine 6) (2010)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: 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 which was scheduled for 6 October 2013 to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution though this has been suspended indefinitely; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: 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)