1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (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 to resolve dispute are nearing completion
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
arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 44%; other 52%, includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm
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
Total area
22,960 km2; land area: 22,800 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
38 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Creole 39.7%, Mestizo 33.1%, Maya 9.5%, Garifuna 7.6%, East Indian 2.1%, other 8.0%
Infant mortality rate
35 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
51,500; agriculture 30.0%, services 16.0%, government 15.4%, commerce 11.2%, manufacturing 10.3%; shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1985)
Language
English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)
Life expectancy at birth
male 67 years, female 72 years (1991)
Literacy
91% (male 91%, female 91%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
Nationality
noun--Belizean(s); adjective--Belizean
Net migration rate
4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
12% of labor force; 7 unions currently active
Population
228,069 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Religion
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%, unknown 3%, other 3% (1980)
Total fertility rate
4.7 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Capital
Belmopan
Communists
negligible
Constitution
21 September 1981
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador James V. HYDE; Chancery at Suite 2J, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 363-4505; US--Ambassador Eugene L. SCASSA; 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 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
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, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, 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, Dean LINDO, Dean BARROW; Belize Popular Party (BPP), Louis SYLVESTRE
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
parliamentary democracy
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
Budget
revenues $87.4 million; expenditures $130.5 million, including capital expenditures of $53.5 million (FY90 est.)
Currency
Belizean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $104 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $199 million
Electricity
34,700 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced, 410 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1--2.00 (fixed rate)
Exports
$108 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--sugar, clothing, seafood, molasses, citrus, wood and wood products; partners--US 47%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada (1987)
External debt
$169 million (December 1990)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$290 million, per capita $1,320; real growth rate 9% (1990 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
$204 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; partners--US 55%, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (1987)
Industrial production
growth rate 9.7% (1989); accounts for 16% of GDP
Industries
garment production, citrus concentrates, sugar refining, rum, beverages, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.8% (1990 est.)
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.
Unemployment rate
12% (1988)
Communications
Airports
42 total, 32 usable; 3 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
2,710 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
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 (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Volunteer Guard), Belize National Police
Defense expenditures
$4.8 million, 1.8% of GDP (1990 est.) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 53,184; 31,790 fit for military service; 2,545 reach military age (18) annually