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Belize
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Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
(1952)
Governor-General: Sir Colville Young
(1993)
Prime Minister: Said Musa
(1998)
Current government officials
Land area: 8,803 sq mi (22,800 sq km);
total area: 8,867 sq mi (22,966 sq km)
Population (2008 est.): 301,022 (growth
rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 27.8/1000; infant mortality rate:
23.7/1000; life expectancy: 68.1; density per sq mi: 13
Capital (2003 est.):
Belmopan, 8,700
Largest city: Belize City,
52,600
Monetary unit: Belize dollar
Languages:
English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna
(Carib), Creole
Ethnicity/race:
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%,
Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 27%
(Pentecostal 7%, Anglican 5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Mennonite
4%, Methodist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%), none 9%, other 14%
(2000)
National Holiday:
Independence Day, September 21
Literacy rate: 94% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004
est.): $1.778 billion; per capita $6,800. Real growth rate:
3.8%. Inflation: 3%. Unemployment: 12.9% (2003).
Arable land: 3.05%. Agriculture: bananas, coca,
citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments. Labor
force: 90,000; note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of
technical personnel; agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55%
(2001 est.). Industries: garment production, food processing,
tourism, construction. Natural resources: arable land
potential, timber, fish, hydropower. Exports: $349.9 million
f.o.b. (2005 est.): sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products,
molasses, wood. Imports: $622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.):
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco. Major
trading partners: U.S., UK, Jamaica , Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba,
China, Japan (2004).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines
in use: 33,300 (2003); mobile cellular: 60,400 (2003). Radio
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998).
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997). Internet
hosts: 2,613 (2003). Internet users: 30,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: 0 km.
Highways: total: 2,872 km; paved: 488 km; unpaved: 2,384 km
(1999 est.). Waterways: 825 km (navigable only by small
craft) (2004). Ports and harbors: Belize City.
Airports: 43 (2004 est.).
International disputes: Guatemalan
squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests
of Belize's border region; OAS is attempting to revive the 2002
failed Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary,
a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park
for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial
package.
Major sources and definitions
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Geography
Belize is situated on the Caribbean Sea, south
of Mexico and east and north of Guatemala in Central America. In area, it
is about the size of New Hampshire. Most of the country is heavily
forested with various hardwoods. Mangrove swamps and cays along the coast
give way to hills and mountains in the interior. The highest point is
Victoria Peak, 3,681 ft (1,122 m).
Government
Parliamentary democracy within the British
Commonwealth.
History
The Mayan civilization spread into the area of
Belize between 1500 B.C. and A.D. 300 and flourished until about 1200. Several
major archeological sites—notably Caracol, Lamanai, Lubaantun, Altun
Ha, and Xunantunich—reflect the advanced civilization and much
denser population of that period. European contact began in 1502 when
Columbus sailed along the coast. The first recorded European settlement
was begun by shipwrecked English seamen in 1638. Over the next 150 years,
more English settlements were established. This period was also marked by
piracy, indiscriminate logging, and sporadic attacks by Indians and
neighboring Spanish settlements. Both Spain and Britain lay claim to the
land until Britain defeated the Spanish in the battle of St. George's Cay
(1798). It became a colony of Great Britain in 1840, known as British
Honduras, and a Crown colony in 1862. Full internal self-government was
granted in Jan. 1964. In 1973, the country changed its name to Belize.
Belize became independent on Sept. 21, 1981. But
Guatemala, which had made claims on the territory since the 1800s, refused
to recognize it. British troops remained in the country to defend it.
Although the dispute between Guatemala and Great Britain remained
unresolved, Guatemala recognized Belize's sovereignty in Sept. 1991.
Guatemala, however, still claims more than half of Belize’s
territory.
Prime Minister Said Musa was reelected to a
second term in 2003.
In the 2008 parliamentary elections, the United
Democratic Party wins 57% of the vote (25 of 31 seats) and the People's
United Party 41% (6). Turnout is 74.5%. Dean Barrow is sworn in as prime
minister on February 8. On February 11 he announces his cabinet (sworn in
February 12) including himself as finance minister, Wilfred Elrington as
foreign minister, and Carlos Perdomo as minister of national security.
See also Encyclopedia: Belize.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Belize
Central Statistical Office www.cso.gov.bz/welcome.html
Information Please® Database, © 2008 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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