238 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
238 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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BELIZE
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 22,960 km2; land area: 22,800 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts
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Land boundaries: 516 km total; Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
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Coastline: 386 km
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Maritime claims:
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Territorial sea: 3 nm
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Disputes: claimed by Guatemala, but boundary negotiations to
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resolve dispute are nearing completion
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Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to
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February)
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Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
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Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish
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Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 2%; forest and woodland 44%; other 52%, includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: frequent devastating hurricanes (September to
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December) and coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation
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Note: national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to
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Belmopan because of hurricanes; only country in Central America without a
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coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
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PEOPLE
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Population: 228,069 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 38 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 35 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: male 67 years, female 72 years (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Belizean(s); adjective--Belizean
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Ethnic divisions: Creole 39.7%, Mestizo 33.1%, Maya 9.5%, Garifuna
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7.6%, East Indian 2.1%, other 8.0%
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Religion: Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%,
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Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%,
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Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, unknown 3%, other 3%
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(1980)
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Language: English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)
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Literacy: 91% (male 91%, female 91%) age 15 and over having ever
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attended school (1970)
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Labor force: 51,500; agriculture 30.0%, services 16.0%, government
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15.4%, commerce 11.2%, manufacturing 10.3%; shortage of skilled
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labor and all types of technical personnel (1985)
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Organized labor: 12% of labor force; 7 unions currently active
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Type: parliamentary democracy
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Capital: Belmopan
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Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal,
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Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
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Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK; formerly British
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Honduras)
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Constitution: 21 September 1981
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Legal system: English law
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National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September
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Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime
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minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an
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upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
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represented by Governor General Dame Elmira Minita GORDON (since 21
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September 1981);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister George Cadle PRICE (since 4
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September 1989)
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's United Party (PUP), George PRICE, Florencio MARIN, Said MUSA;
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United Democratic Party (UDP), Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean LINDO, Dean BARROW;
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Belize Popular Party (BPP), Louis SYLVESTRE
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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National Assembly--last held 4 September 1989 (next to be
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held September 1994);
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results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(28 total)
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PUP 15 seats, UDP 13 seats; note--in January 1990 one
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member expelled from UDP joined PUP, making the seat count
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16 PUP, UDP 12
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Communists: negligible
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Other political or pressure groups: Society for the Promotion
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of Education and Research (SPEAR) headed by former PUP minister;
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United Workers Front
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Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, IDA,
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IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, (observer), ITU, LORCS,
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NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador James V. HYDE; Chancery at
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Suite 2J, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
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(202) 363-4505;
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US--Ambassador Eugene L. SCASSA; Embassy at Gabourel Lane and
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Hutson Street, Belize City (mailing address is P. O. Box 286, Belize
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City); telephone 501 77161 through 77163
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Flag: blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom
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edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat
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of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany
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tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the
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Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is based primarily on agriculture and
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merchandising. Agriculture accounts for more than 30% of GDP and provides
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75% of export earnings, while sugar, the chief crop, accounts for almost
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40% of hard currency earnings. The US, Belize's main trading partner, is
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assisting in efforts to reduce dependency on sugar with an agricultural
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diversification program.
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GDP: $290 million, per capita $1,320; real growth rate 9% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 12% (1988)
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Budget: revenues $87.4 million; expenditures $130.5 million,
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including capital expenditures of $53.5 million (FY90 est.)
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Exports: $108 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--sugar, clothing, seafood, molasses, citrus, wood and
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wood products;
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partners--US 47%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada (1987)
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Imports: $204 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
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commodities--machinery and transportation equipment, food,
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manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
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partners--US 55%, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (1987)
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External debt: $169 million (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate 9.7% (1989); accounts for
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16% of GDP
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Electricity: 34,700 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced,
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410 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: garment production, citrus concentrates, sugar
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refining, rum, beverages, tourism
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Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP (including fish and forestry);
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commercial crops include sugarcane, bananas, coca, citrus fruits;
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expanding output of lumber and cultured shrimp; net importer of basic
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foods
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Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of cannabis for the
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international drug trade; eradication program cut marijuana
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production from 200 metric tons in 1987 to 66 metric tons in 1989;
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transshipment point for cocaine
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $104
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $199 million
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Currency: Belizean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Belizean dollar
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(Bz$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1--2.00 (fixed rate)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 2,710 km total; 500 km paved, 1,600 km gravel, 300 km
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improved earth, and 310 km unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft;
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seasonally navigable
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Ports: Belize City; additional ports for shallow draught craft
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include Corozol, Punta Gorda, Big Creek
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Civil air: no major transport aircraft
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Airports: 42 total, 32 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: 8,650 telephones; above-average system based on
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radio relay; stations--6 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean
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INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: British Forces Belize, Belize Defense Force (including
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Army, Navy, Air Force, and Volunteer Guard), Belize National Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 53,184; 31,790 fit for military
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service; 2,545 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $4.8 million, 1.8% of GDP (1990 est.)
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