1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)
Coastline
386 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Massachusetts
Disputes
claimed by Guatemala, but boundary negotiations are under way
Environment
frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation
Land boundaries
516 km total; Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Land use
2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 44% forest and woodland; 52% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
arable land potential, timber, fish
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
Terrain
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Territorial sea
3 nm
Total area
22,960 km2; land area: 22,800 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
38 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
39.7% Creole, 33.1% Mestizo, 9.5% Maya, 7.6% Garifuna, 2.1% East Indian, 8.0% other
Infant mortality rate
35 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
51,500; 30.0% agriculture, 16.0% services, 15.4% government, 11.2% commerce, 10.3% manufacturing; shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1985)
Language
English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)
Life expectancy at birth
67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Literacy
93% (est.)
Nationality
noun--Belizean(s); adjective--Belizean
Net migration rate
4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
30% of labor force; 11 unions currently active
Population
219,737 (July 1990), growth rate 3.7% (1990)
Religion
60% Roman Catholic; 40% Protestant (Anglican, Seventh-Day Adventist, Methodist, Baptist, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonite)
Total fertility rate
4.8 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Capital
Belmopan
Communists
negligible
Constitution
21 September 1981
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Edward A. LAING; Chancery at Suite 2J, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 363-4505; US--Ambassador Robert G. RICH, Jr.; Embassy at Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City (mailing address is P. O. Box 286, Belize City); telephone [501] 77161 through 77163
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 seats, UDP 13 seats; note--in January 1990 one member expelled from UDP joined PUP, making the seat count 16 PUP, UDP 12
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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 with a mahogany tree at the top and the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
Independence
21 September 1981 (from UK; formerly British Honduras)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Elmira Minita GORDON (since 21 September 1981); Head of Government--Prime Minister George Cadle PRICE (since 4 September 1989)
Legal system
English law
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Long-form name
none
Member of
ACP, CARICOM, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, G-77, ISO, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 21 September
Other political or pressure groups
Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR) headed by former PUP minister; United Workers Front
Political parties and leaders
People's United Party (PUP), George Price, Florencio Marin, Said Musa; United Democratic Party (UDP), Manuel Esquivel, Curl Thompson, Dean Barrow; Belize Popular Party (BPP), Louis Sylvestre
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
parliamentary
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 30% 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
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $94 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $194 million
Budget
revenues $94.6 million; expenditures $74.3 million, including capital expenditures of $33.9 million (1988 est.)
Currency
Belizean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents
Electricity
34,000 kW capacity; 88 million kWh produced, 500 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1--2.00 (fixed rate)
Exports
$120 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--sugar, clothing, seafood, molasses, citrus, wood and wood products; partners--US 47%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada (1987)
External debt
$140 million (December 1988)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$225.6 million, per capita $1,285; real growth rate 6% (1989 est.)
Illicit drugs
an illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; eradication program cut marijuana production from 200 metric tons in 1987 to 66 metric tons in 1989; transshipment point for cocaine
Imports
$176 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; partners--US 55%, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (1987)
Industrial production
growth rate 6% (1988)
Industries
sugar refining, clothing, timber and forest products, furniture, rum, soap, beverages, cigarettes, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.5% (1988)
Overview
The economy is based primarily on agriculture and merchandising. Agriculture accounts for more than 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. In 1987 the drop in income from sugar sales to the US because of quota reductions was almost totally offset by higher world prices for sugar.
Unemployment rate
14% (1988 est.)
Communications
Airports
38 total, 30 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
2,575 km total; 340 km paved, 1,190 km gravel, 735 km improved earth, and 310 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable
Ports
Belize City, Belize City Southwest
Telecommunications
8,650 telephones; above-average system based on radio relay; stations--6 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
British Forces Belize, Belize Defense Force, Coast Guard, Police Department
Defense expenditures
2.0% of GDP, or $4.6 million (1989 est.)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 50,988; 30,502 fit for military service; 2,500 reach military age (18) annually