The 1991 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

NEGL%

      _#_Environment: frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation

      _#_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

      _*People #_Population: 228,069 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)

      _#_Birth rate: 38 births/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Infant mortality rate: 35 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

      _#_Life expectancy at birth: male 67 years, female 72 years (1991)

      _#_Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1991)

      _#_Nationality: noun—Belizean(s); adjective—Belizean

      _#_Ethnic divisions: Creole 39.7%, Mestizo 33.1%, Maya 9.5%, Garifuna 7.6%, East Indian 2.1%, other 8.0%

      _#_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)

      _#_Language: English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)

      _#_Literacy: 91% (male 91%, female 91%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)

      _#_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)

      _#_Organized labor: 12% of labor force; 7 unions currently active

      _*Government #_Long-form name: none

      _#_Type: parliamentary democracy

      _#_Capital: Belmopan

      _#_Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

      _#_Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK; formerly British Honduras)

      _#_Constitution: 21 September 1981

      _#_Legal system: English law

      _#_National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September

      _#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

      _#_Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

      _#_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)

      _#_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

      _#_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

      _#_Communists: negligible

      _#_Other political or pressure groups: Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR) headed by former PUP minister; United Workers Front

      _#_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

      _#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador James V. HYDE; Chancery at Suite 2J, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone [phone];

      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

      _#_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

      _*Economy #_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.

      _#_GDP: $290 million, per capita $1,320; real growth rate 9% (1990 est.)

      _#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (1990 est.)

      _#_Unemployment rate: 12% (1988)

      _#_Budget: revenues $87.4 million; expenditures $130.5 million, including capital expenditures of $53.5 million (FY90 est.)

      _#_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)

      _#_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)

      _#_External debt: $169 million (December 1990)

      _#_Industrial production: growth rate 9.7% (1989); accounts for 16% of GDP

      _#_Electricity: 34,700 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced, 410 kWh per capita (1990)

      _#_Industries: garment production, citrus concentrates, sugar refining, rum, beverages, tourism

      _#_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

      _#_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

      _#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–89), $104 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $199 million

      _#_Currency: Belizean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents

      _#_Exchange rates: Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1—2.00 (fixed rate)

      _#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

      _*Communications #_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

      _#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft

      _#_Airports: 42 total, 32 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways