1981 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1981 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
22,973 km2; 38% agricultural (5% cultivated), 46% exploitable forest, 16% urban, waste, water, offshore islands or other
Coastline
386 km
Land boundaries
515 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm (fishing 12 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
51% Negro, 22% mestizo, 19% Amerindian, 8% other
Labor force
40,000; 39% agriculture, 14% manufacturing, 8% commerce, 12% construction and transport, 20% services, 7% other; shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel; over 15% are unemployed
Language
English, Spanish, Maya, and Carib
Literacy
70%-80%
Nationality
noun — Belizean(s); adjective — Belizean
Organized labor
8% of labor force
Population
150,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.8%
Religion
50% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Seventh-Day Adventist, Methodist, Baptist, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonite
Government
Branches
18-member elected National Assembly and eight-member Senate (either house may choose its speaker or president, respectively, from outside its elected membership); Cabinet; judiciary
Capital
Belmopan
Communists
negligible
Elections
Parliamentary elections held November 1979 Political parties and leaders: People's United Party (PUP), George Price; United Democratic Party (UDP), Theodore Aranda
Government leaders
Prime Minister George C. PRICE; Governor General Minita GORDON
Legal system
English law BELIZE (Continued)
Member of
CARICOM, ISO
Official name
Belize
Other political or pressure groups
United Workers Union, which is connected with PUP
Suffrage
universal adult (probably 21)
Type
became an independent state on 21 September 1981; a member of the Commonwealth
Voting strength (National Assembly)
PUP 13 seats, UDP 5 seats
Economy
Agriculture
main products — sugarcane, citrus fruits, corn, molasses, rice, beans, bananas, livestock products; net importer of food; caloric intake, 2,500 calories per day per capita
Aid
economic — authorized from US, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), 5.3 million; bilateral ODA and OOF commitments from Western (non-US) countries (1970-79), $93.4 million
Budget
revenues, $88 million; expenditures, $88 million (projected budget for April 1981 through March 1982)
Electric power
16,000 kW capacity (1980); 42 million kWh produced (1980), 288 kWh per capita
Exports
$130 million (f.o.b., 1980 est.); sugar, garments, fish, molasses, citrus fruits
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$140 million (1979), $960 per capita (1979 est); real growth rate 1980, 4% (est.)
Imports
$141 million (c.i.f., 1980 est.); machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods, fuels
Major industries
sugar refining, garments, timber and forest products, furniture, rum, soap
Major trade partners
exports— US 43%, UK 37%, Trinidad and Tobago 6%, Mexico 2%; imports— US 52%, UK 17%, Netherlands Antilles 5% (1979 est.)
Monetary conversion rate
2 Belize dollars=US$l
Communications
Airfields
37 total, 28 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
1 major transport aircraft, leased in
Highways
2,575 km total; 340 km paved, 1,190 km gravel, 735 km improved earth and 310 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
800 km river network used by shallow-draft craft
Military manpower
males 15-49, 35,000; 21,000 fit for military service; 1,600 reach military age (18) annually
Ports
1 major (Belize), 4 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
5,800 telephones in automatic and manual network (2.7 per 100 popl.); radio-relay system; 6 AM stations and 1 FM station; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT station DEFENSE FORCES