Countries
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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; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty
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
Military branches: Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, BDF Air Wing (includes Special Boat Unit), BDF Volunteer Guard
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
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 81,284
females age 16-49: 79,185
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 59,431
females age 16-49: 57,221
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 3,723
female: 3,584
Military expenditures: 1.4% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 102
Airports: 43
country comparison to the world: 99
Roadways: total: 3,007 km
country comparison to the world: 166
Waterways: 825 km (navigable only by small craft)
country comparison to the world: 71
Merchant marine: total: 247
country comparison to the world: 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)
Ports and terminals: Belize City, Big Creek
Telephones - main lines in use: 28,800
country comparison to the world: 181
Telephones - mobile cellular: 203,000
country comparison to the world: 176
Telephone system: 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 roughly 60 per 100 persons
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
Internet country code: .bz
Internet hosts: 7,464
country comparison to the world: 141
Internet users: 36,000
country comparison to the world: 178
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. In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which helped reduce interest payments and relieved some of the country's liquidity concerns. Growth slipped to 0% in 2009, 2.7% in 2010, and 2.5% in 2011 as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and a temporary drop in the price of oil. With weak economic growth and a large public debt burden, fiscal spending is likely to be tight. 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 2010 Poverty Assessment shows that more than 4 out of 10 people live in poverty. The sizable trade deficit and heavy foreign debt burden continue to be major concerns.
Government type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Legal system: English common law
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
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%
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 Bahai Faith, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Mormon), other (unknown) 3.1%, none 15.2%
Population: 327,719
country comparison to the world: 177
Median age: total: 21.3 years
male: 21.1 years
female: 21.5 years
Population growth rate: 2.011%
country comparison to the world: 48
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 76
Urbanization: urban population: 52% of total population
rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: BELMOPAN (capital) 20,000
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.28 years
country comparison to the world: 155
male: 66.61 years
female: 70.04 years
Total fertility rate: 3.15 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 54
Health expenditures: 3.3% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 175
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis
Education expenditures: 5.7% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 36
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9%
male: 76.7%
female: 77.1%
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 19.5%
country comparison to the world: 60
male: 13.8%
female: 28.8%
Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims: 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
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
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 3.05%, permanent crops: 1.39%, other: 95.56%
Natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: 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
Geography - note: only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
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. Guatemala and Belize plan to hold a simultaneous referendum to determine if this dispute will go before the International Court of Justice at The Hague, though they have not yet set a date. 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 prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS in Central America.
Belize
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