| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras |
| Capital: |
Belmopan |
| Location: |
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
17 15 N, 88 45 W |
| Area: |
total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Massachusetts |
| 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 the negotiation of 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo |
| Independence |
21 September 1981 (from UK) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 21 September (1981) |
| Constitution: |
21 September 1981 |
| Legal
System; |
English law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
| Legislative
Branch: |
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members appointed by the governor general - six on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
272,945 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 56,530; female 54,322)
15-64 years: 55.8% (male 77,118; female 75,309)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,674; female 4,992) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 19.1 years
male: 19 years
female: 19.3 years (2004 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean |
| Ethnic groups: |
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Anglican 5.3%, Methodist 3.5%, Mennonite 4.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Pentecostal 7.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), none 9.4%, other 14% (2000) |
| Languages: |
English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
33,300 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
60,400 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
2 (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.bz |
| Internet hosts: |
2,613 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
30,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 2,872 km
paved: 488 km
unpaved: 2,384 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 336 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,015,270 GRT/1,336,890 DWT
by type: bulk 13, cargo 240, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 10, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 27, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: Bahamas 2, Belgium 1, British Virgin Islands 11, Cambodia 6, China 67, Cuba 2, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 8, Germany 5, Greece 2, Grenada 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 27, Indonesia 4, Italy 2, Japan 5, Jordan 1, South Korea 13, Latvia 5, Liberia 2, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 16, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Nigeria 2, Panama 15, Philippines 4, Portugal 1, Russia 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 9, Spain 6, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 3, Tunisia 1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 3, United Kingdom 1, United States 3, Yemen 1
registered in other countries: 25 (2004 est.) |
| Airports: |
43 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
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