Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 provided courtesy of The Libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Match 28 DB Rec# - 55,775 Dataset-WOFACT Source :CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Source key :CI Program :WORLD FACTBOOK Program key :CI WOFACT Update sched. :Annually ID number :CI WOFACT 027 Title :BELIZE Data type :TEXT End year :1994 Date of record:02/16/1994 Keywords 3 : | BELIZE Text : BELIZE GEOGRAPHY Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Guatemala and Mexico Map references: Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 22,960 km2 land area: 22,800 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts Land boundaries: total 516 km, Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km Coastline: 386 km territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south note: from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Caye, Belize's territorial sea is 3 miles; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for International disputes: border with Guatemala in dispute; negotiations to resolve the dispute have begun Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February) Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 2% forest and woodland: 44% other: 52% Irrigated land: 20 km2 (1989 est.) Environment: frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation 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 PEOPLE Population: 203,957 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 2.42% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 35.75 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 6.15 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: -5.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 36.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.85 years male: 65.91 years female: 69.88 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.53 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean Ethnic divisions: Mestizo 44%, Creole 30%, Maya 11%, Garifuna 7%, other 8% 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) Languages: English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib) Literacy: age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970) male: 91% female: 91% Labor force: 51,500 by occupation: agriculture 30%, services 16%, government 15.4%, commerce 11.2%, manufacturing 10.3% note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1985) GOVERNMENT Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras Digraph: BH Type: parliamentary democracy Capital: Belmopan Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK) Constitution: 21 September 1981 Legal system: English law National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September Political parties and leaders: People's United Party (PUP), George PRICE, Florencio MARIN, Said MUSA; United Democratic Party (UDP), Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean LINDO, Dean BARROW; National Alliance for Belizean Rights, leader NA Other political or pressure groups: Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR), Assad SHOMAN; United Workers Front, leader NA Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Elections: National Assembly: last held 4 September 1989 (next to be held September 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (28 total) PUP 15, UDP 13; note - in January 1990 one member expelled from UDP joined PUP, making the seat count PUP 16, UDP 12 Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Minita Elmira GORDON (since 21 September 1981) Head of Government: Prime Minister George Cadle PRICE (since 4 September 1989) Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador James V. HYDE chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 332-9636 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Eugene L. SCASSA embassy: Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City telephone: 501 (2) 77161 through 77163 FAX: 501 (2) 30802 Flag: 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 ECONOMY Overview: The economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming increasing importance. Agriculture accounts for about 30% 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. National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $373 million (1990 est.) National product real growth rate: 10% (1990) National product per capita: $1,635 (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.5% (1991) Unemployment rate: 12% (1991 est.) capital expenditures of $44.8 million (FY91 est.) Exports: $95.6 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: sugar, citrus, clothing, bananas, fish products, molasses partners: US 49%, UK, EC, Mexico (1991) Imports: $194 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals partners: US 60%, UK, EC, Mexico (1991) External debt: $143.7 million (1991) Industrial production: growth rate 3.7% (1990); accounts for 12% of GDP Electricity: 34,532 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced, 393 kWh per capita (1992) Industries: garment production, citrus concentrates, sugar refining, rum, beverages, tourism Agriculture: accounts for 22% of GDP (including fish and forestry); commercial crops include sugarcane, bananas, coca, citrus fruits; expanding output of lumber and cultured shrimp; net importer of basic foods Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; eradication program cut marijuana production from 200 metric tons in 1987 to about 50 metric tons in 1991; transshipment point for cocaine Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $104 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $215 million Currency: 1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1 - 2.00 (fixed rate) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 2,710 km total; 500 km paved, 1,600 km gravel, 300 km improved earth, and 310 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable Ports: Belize City; additional ports for shallow draught craft include Corozol, Punta Gorda, Big Creek Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,768 GRT/12,721 DWT; includes 3 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off Airports: usable: 32 with permanent-surface runways: 3 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,229-2,439 mr: 2 Telecommunications: 8,650 telephones; above-average system based on microwave radio relay; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense forces Branches: British Forces Belize, Belize Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Volunteer Guard), Belize National Police Manpower availability: males age 15-49 47,135; fit for military service 28,070; reach military age (18) annually 2,066 (1993 est.) Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $5.4 million, 2% of GDP (1992) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK CD-ROM, July, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/7/v.1-2 / R. Muns, UM-St. Louis Libraries Local Filename: WF940027.TXT